


Hot for a teacher

by Vodka_martini



Series: Hot for a teacher [1]
Category: Undertale
Genre: Angst, BAMF, Bisexual Female Character, Depressed Sans, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Filk, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kinda but not really, PTSD, Poetry, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader has a vagina, Reader is bisexual, Reader is bubbly and extroverted, Reader is messed up, Sans and her are V cute, Schmoop, Slow Build, Smarm, Snark, Songfic, Stream of Consciousness, Subtext, Suicide, Woobie, depressed reader, fem!reader - Freeform, like seriously they have a fucked up past man even though they don't seem like it at first, reader is bamf, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-14
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-06-02 08:14:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 65,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6558952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vodka_martini/pseuds/Vodka_martini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A walking paradox. </p><p>That's what you were. You were over-zealous, interesting, and adventurous. You were the life of the party and all your friends loved you. </p><p>But inside, you were dark and brooding. You were lost and alone and messed up. No one knew the extent of your pain or why you were so adventurous. You didn't want to sink into the endless spiral of despair and the void that threatened to swallow you. You kept running, moving, not stopping for even a moment, because if you did you knew you were fucked.</p><p>But when you did stop, a certain pun loving skeleton and a quantum physics professor had always kept you afloat. Maybe your friendship would run deeper than skin. It might just run to your bones.</p><p>Well, who knows? You might just get the hots for a teacher...</p><p>*WARNING*<br/>Crude language, maybe smut later on.</p><p>If you would like to send me fanart or questions in regards to any of my fics, feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting references I make in my fics, informing you of new chapter updates and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chance meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo! Author here. Hi. I'm vodka_martini. How ya doin? Anyhoo I don't know where I got the inspiration for this one but in most of the SansXreader fanfic I've read like the reader is often portrayed to have social anxiety or being shy and having Sans pull them out of their shell. Well this piece of fanfic is gonna be different. The reader is gonna be like freaking cool, extroverted, like bubbly and quick witted. Not that previous interpretations of the reader was bad it's just like I want to kind of take a new spin on it. Anyhoo that's all I've gotta say for now!  
> P.S. __ means that your name comes into play in that sentence  
> And before we get onto this tale, I'd like to establish the symbolism of my uses of bolded and italicized words or whatever. 
> 
> Nightmares: Whenever the characters are experiencing nightmares, the text will be bolded and italicized. 
> 
> Normal dreams may be simply italicized. 
> 
> When the reader is singing or reciting poetry, the text will simply be italicized but with quotation marks at the beginning and end of it. 
> 
> When like there is a ♪ symbol and some text that are just in bold at the beginning and end of whatever I write, it means that they are song lyrics in some relation to the situation.  
> -vodka_martini

Even two classes today drained your energy completely. You groaned. Fuck college life. It wasn't all partying and sorority wars. It was living off of instant noodles, potato chips and the occasional, luxurious, apple. You knew you were exaggerating a tad bit but it also wasn't too far from the truth.  
As you stepped off campus, you noticed that it was a nice day out. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was a pretty blue. To be honest, you fucking hated the sun. You loved the rain. You loved the dreariness of it. The pitter patter of the raindrops against your window. But today, you couldn't help but appreciate the sun and all it's glory so you decided to take a walk in the park. You were strongly opposed to any other physical activity that was not getting up from bed so deciding to take a walk in the park was actually a surprise to you.  You saw children playing tag, dogs chasing their tails, the elderly practicing tai-chi and a rabbit monster walking her Cinnabon.

Oh yeah. Monsters were real. They were cool. The barrier had shattered a year ago and they had started to live on the surface. It had taken months for humans and monsters alike to share the same space, but eventually everything fell into place. There were still those racist assholes wandering the earth here and there but generally the monsters didn't want any trouble and just wanted to do their own thing. Monsters were awesome. You were good friends with a few of them. For instance, Burgerpants from the store and you had hung out frequently. You both occasionally just grabbed lunch and either went to an arcade or a movie to do random shit together.

Your texts with him were pretty much like:  
xxxxxx: _Yo_.  
Burgerpants: _Yo_.  
Burgerpants: _I think I'm high lol_.  
xxxxxx: _Well that's unfortunate. Wanna catch that new Adam Sandler movie? I bet you a glamburger that it's gonna turn out shit_.

Thankfully, it did turn out shit. You were also friends Asgore (KING OF ALL MONSTERS OHMYGOD) and had tea with him every Wednesday. You were a social sciences student at university and one day you bumped into him at a Gardening Fair and got talking. You realized you enjoyed his company and vice versa. You exchanged numbers and boom. That's how friendship happens.  You sit together on his porch, drink tea and you two would talk about seemingly anything. You would ramble on and on how lectures are so boring and how you punched Larry down the road the other day for making Temmie cry. ( _You were also friends with the Temmies and you guys had a weird thing going on. You gave them a dollar for every time you hung out with them and it was a weird as hell dynamic. When you hung out with the Temmies, you sometimes wondered if you were tripping balls or something_ ). Asgore would laugh and tell you about how the monster-human politics were drawing out or how he spent his day with his monster friends. You picked out the names, Undyne, Alphys, Sans, Papyrus and Toriel that he frequented when he discussed his monster friends. You knew by now that Toriel was his ex and had adopted the Human ambassador of monsters, Frisk. He seemed sad whenever Toriel had come up in the conversation and you felt slightly sorry for him. You then would spent the rest of the afternoon gardening with him. Oh, you liked gardening too.

' _Man, I'm a weirdo_ ,' you thought to yourself as you processed your life choices so far. Your best (human) friend, Sasha, was a brilliant Quantum Physics student who put up with you, a social sciences student who spent her time drinking tea and gardening with the king of monsters, paying money to the Temmies for their company and going wild with Burgerpants. What was your life?

You were snapped out of your thoughts when you heard your stomach make the noise of a Whale's mating call. ' _Damn I'm hungry_ ,' you said out loud as if it wasn't fucking obvious.  
You spotted a hotdog stand a little ways away from you and you had decided to fulfill your belly's desires. As you you approached the stand, you found the vendor wearing a giant blue hoodie with the hood up to be sleeping on the stand with his face propped up against his hand. Ah. That sleeping position. You related to it all too well. Memories of yesterday's lecture surfaced. Good times.

"Hey sleeping beauty," you said with a smile, reaching over and tapping him on the shoulder. He looked up and his hood fell away. Oh. He was a skeleton. Awesome. " _Frankly_ ," (Oh yes that was a pun) "I hate to interrupt a fellow sleep lover's nap time, but the stomach calls man," you said patting your belly. That skeleton's eye-lights seemed to shine brighter and he grinned at you. "was that a pun?" He asked, his deep voice rumbling. "Yep. It was. Sorry bout that. I like bad jokes. But sorry I can't _mustard_ up another one." He stared at you for a moment before bursting out into a peal of laughter. "that was a good one, kid," he said as he continued to shake in mirth. "i feel ya, i _relish_ in bad puns." Your smile widened at the pun. ' _This guy ain't half bad_ ,' you thought to yourself (but little did you realize that you had gone up against the pun master). "So um, love _buns_ and all but could I have a hot dog, please?" You asked. The skeleton chuckled again. "wow. kid, you are on a _roll_." You lost your shit. You clutched your stomach as you burst into laughter. God damn. This skeleton was going to be the death of you. "Shut up and get me a damn 'dog," you said as you wiped tears away from your eyes. The skeleton winked at you and began to prepare your meal for the next three minutes or hours give or take.

The silence was awkward. While he was doing his thing you were just looking at your shoes. Damn it **__** , say something!  
"Soooo," you began. "Does that pretty face go with a name?" The skeleton looked at you and his eyes widened and you internally facepalmed.  
"Sorry..." You muttered. "I'm really awkward haha. The silence kinda got to me," you admitted. Thankfully, he chuckled.  
"no worries, it's just the people i've met in my life so far haven't been exactly really forward and quick in my life."  
Your face fell. Damn it, you were always insecure about your extroverted personality and it stung to find out that a really freaking cool dude was weirded out by it.  
He noticed the change in your mood and quickly corrected himself.  
"don't take it the wrong way kid. it's refreshing to have someone not be on their tiptoes all the time ya, know? what can i say? you've got me hooked onto you already." He handed you your hot dog and you plonked the change in his counter. You felt a little better now and your smile widened.  
"the name is Sans. Sans the skeleton." Oh yeah. He was one of the dudes Asgore talked about.

"I'm **__**. Nice to meet you." You found yourself walking around the hot dog cart and sitting cross legged beside Sans's chair.  
He looked down at you, amused.  
"um, whatcha doin?"

You took a big bite of your hot dog. "Eating," you replied with your mouth full. "I'm also making friends."

He chuckled. "wow. that's not how i usually make friends."

"How do you make friends then?"

"i put a whoopee cushion in my hand and give them a handshake. it's a good icebreaker don't ya think?"

"Nope," you responded with a full mouth again.

Sans chuckled again. He found your character to be so unique and he just wanted to get to know you better. You seemed so chill and laid back in a way that he wasn't. It was refreshing to feel the presence of someone who just rolled with the punches. And that's what he did. You two simply sat there together for the rest of the afternoon at the hot dog cart just talking about nonsensical crap. You told him about how you liked to get high off the smell of gasoline. And he told you about how he liked to get drunk off of ketchup. Sans was surprised that you shrugged without question when he chugged a bottle of ketchup in front of you.

"aren't you gonna tell me i'm crazy for drinking ketchup?"

"Nah. I take my friend Burgerpants to movies or do random shit with him when he gets high. You're good."

Sans choked. "you're friends with Burgerpants?! seriously?!"

You glared at him, "hey he's awesome shut up! Also I'm friends the Temmies okay!"

' _holy shit, you were a riot_ ,' Sans thought to himself. "and how's that working out for ya?"

You pursed your lips. "Well they do charge a fee of a dollar in order to hang out with them... but they're lovely! They make my day. I even punched a guy called Larry for making one of them cry." You looked dead serious and Sans stared at you.

"kid, i am seriously questioning your choices in friends right now..."

"Please. I'll have you know that I am friends with the wonderful King of all Monsters too. Hah."

Sans looked at you sharply. "you know Asgore?"

"Yep. I hang out with him every Wednesday afternoon and have tea and do gardening with him. It's great."

"huh. strange he's never mentioned you."

You gasped in mock-shock. "Asgore! I thought I was your bestie! How dare you," you fanned yourself with a hand while placing the back of your other on your forehead. Sans laughed at your melodramatics. "But in all seriousness, yeah he's mentioned you a couple of times."

Sans's mind had spun. Not only do you know Asgore, but apparently he talked about him to you. Sans didn't do shit so what did Asgore have to say about him.

"Crap is it that time already?" You exclaimed suddenly. You stood up quickly and slung your bag over your shoulder.

"gotta get going, kid?" Sans couldn't deny that he felt a little disappointed that you had to leave. He had a lot of fun hanging out with someone he barely knew.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. Have work and stuff. But hey, Sans, I really enjoyed hanging out with you today. I'll see you around sometime, yeah?"

Sans nodded. "yep, i'd like that. here let me give you my number..." He pulled out some scrap paper and proceeded to write his number but you placed your hand on top of the paper.

"No."

He raised his brow-bone.  
"no?"

"No. Exchanging numbers? Come on that's so usual. I mean hey lets do something else. How about I randomly come to your hot dog stand like without warning and we just kinda chill for a couple of hours. That sounds more exciting and adventurous, doesn't it?" You wore a grin on your face. You loved a bit of adventure in your life and you wanted to shake things up a bit.

Sans laughed. "wow, you're really something else huh? alright. this'll be interesting. but i have many jobs, buddy. i won't always be here," he warned but your grin simply widened.

"Even better!" You said happily. "See you, Sans!" You turned your head to him as you walked away.

" _ketchup_ later!"  
He called out but he could hear you groan and yell out, "That was the _WURST_!"

' **__** ,' Sans thought to himself. They were certainly something else. Life would be rather interesting, from now on.


	2. Friendship level 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting chapter updates, references and context I make in my fics and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/

Sans drummed his phalanges on his hot dog cart. It had been a week since that afternoon he spent with you and he was getting kinda antsy. For some goddamn reason he couldn't stop thinking about you. He practiced puns in front of the mirror to kinda sorta maybe impress you. He practically drove Papyrus up the wall whenever he passed by the living room mirror and cracked a joke in front of it. He felt slightly smug. Annoying Papyrus was always fun. It was a win-win. Sans was reluctant to leave his hot-dog stand and do his other jobs, which frankly (heh pun) had surprised him because that wasn't his favourite job to do. He was also tempted to go to Asgore and be like, ' _sup ya know who and where **__**_ _is? oh no reason i just wanna like totally sit her down and talk to her till her ears fall off or the other way round would be cool too even though i don't have ears_.' Asgore viewed Sans as an already shady enough character so that would've been a bad idea.

"Knock knock," a familiar voice had caused him to almost jump out of his skin ( _punny as ever_.)

"who's there?" Sans responded, trying his best to play it cool and hide the excitement he felt.

"Orange."

"orange who?"

"Orange you glad to see me?"

Sans chuckled. Fuck yeah he was. But no way in hell was he going to admit that. "eh why not?" He said lazily and you pouted. He found it cute. He stood up and patted the seat beside him.  
"Aww you brought another chair just for me? Well now we know that the 'eh why not' was total bullshit," you nudged Sans teasingly as you took a seat. You noticed his cheekbones dusting a faint shade of blue. Was he blushing??? Aww that was fucking adorable!

"mayyyybeeeee," he muttered. You simply laughed it off. You propped your arm against the cart and placed the side of your face on your palm.

"So how was your week?"

"uneventful. actually no, i laughed when i saw a four year old fall over. that was pretty funny."

"Oh thank god I'm not the only one who's an asshole."

And that's at what caliber your conversation went. You told him about how Asgore and yourself had went to the park on Wednesday and fed the little ducklings. Sans laughed when you told him about how the little ducklings clung to his ankles like a koala bear and wouldn't let him go. You told him about how yourself and your best friend Sasha had movie/makeover night for three nights in a row and how alcohol in the mix resulted in feathers from your pillows being scattered all over your living room. You noticed that Sans's eye lights had stared at you intensely as you spoke, listening to each mundane detail eagerly. You swore you saw his eye lights flickering, almost in recognition as if, when you mentioned Sasha's name but you dismissed the thought. Then Sans had proceeded to tell you about how Toriel, Asgore's ex, had berated his brother Papyrus and his friend Undyne for setting her dress on fire. Sans had said he told Toriel to 'chill' which apparently made her more furious and that had lead the three of them to be grounded in a corner while Frisk, the ambassador, had pointed and laughed at them. You laughed so hard at his story that you literally started to cry which proceeded Sans to look worried.

"you okay kid?"

"Yeah yeah," you said in between breaths and wheezing. "Your story was so funny I couldn't help but laugh so hard until I cried."

"is that a human thing?"

"Nope it's an everyone thing."

"never happened to me."

You gasped and stood up and placed your hands on your hips. "That will not do. I, **__** , will now place upon myself the duty of making you laugh till you cry!" You then struck a dramatic pose and Sans snickered. "wow you reminded me of Papyrus there."

He then proceeded to check the time on his phone. 6.49 PM. "welp. that's the end of my shift. say, how would you feel about coming to Grillby's with me for dinner? loved hearing about your shenanigans but i still don't know much about you. you could be a serial killer for all i know." You rolled your eyes. "Cool I'm famished. Let's go."

You waited for Sans to secure his padlock over the cart and both of you set off for Grillby's. Despite yammering on and on that afternoon, the walk was pretty much silent. But it was the kind of comfortable silence you didn't mind so it wasn't much of a big deal. While you two were walking, Sans took a good look at you. Your hair was partially covering your face but your locks were shiny and looked really soft. Your hands were buried in the pockets of your jeans and you kicked around stray pebbles as you walked. You were rather attractive, he noticed. You didn't have the usual kind of universal beauty that was perceived by the humans, evident from the models on advertisements. You were just... Normal. Chill. You didn't need or have to pile yourself in layers of product. You still looked lovely.

He turned his attention away from you when you found yourselves in front of an establishment with a neon orange sign claiming, "GRILLBY'S" You noticed the apostrophe had taken on the shape of a fireball and wondered what was up with that. Sans opened the door for you, "after you." As you stepped through the doorway, your mouth went agape and the numerous monsters seated there. It seemed that you were the only human which made you feel a little weird for the moment. The place had a log-cabin kind of feel to it as the entire place was bathed in orange light and the tables, chairs, walls and floors were made out of brown wood. As Sans entered, all the monsters turned to him and called out a greeting.

"Hey Sans!"  
"How's it going, Sans!"  
"What up Sans?"  
"Greetings Sans!"  
"I LOVE YOU, SANS!"

The last greeting had you startled while Sans simply winked at the monster who said that. How the fuck did he wink in the first place? You shook your head and shot him a strange look as you two occupied seats at the bar. Sans gave you a shit eating grin. "what, dunno what it feels like to be popular?"  
You shot him a sideways smirk and replied cryptically, "Like you wouldn't know..."

Before he could figure out what you meant by that, Grillby had appeared and shot Sans a greeting. "heya Grillbz. how ya doing? been a while huh? anyhoo my pal and i would like some grub." Sans turned to you. "what would ya like, kid?"

You didn't respond to him as you were too busy staring at Grillby. That man was made out of fire. He wore a white shirt with a black vest and bow tie. His eyes were accompanied by black framed glasses. He looked sweet as hell. Sans nudged you and you managed to tear your eyes away from him. "Hmm?" You asked. "didn't your mother ever teach you that staring is rude?" Sans teased and you felt your face heat up. You smiled sheepishly and whispered-but-not-really-whispered, "Sorry man, it's just... He's really _hot!_ " You turned to Grillby and shot him a wink. Sans guffawed and Grillby looked amused. "..............I can see why you two are friends.............." Grillby's voice reminded you of a fire crackling. It was deep, rumbly and warm. You decided you liked the sound of it. "..............Sans, you may have found someone capable of challenging your pun skills.............." Sans simply shrugged.

"nah, kid can't hold a _candle_ to me."

Your mouth dropped open and you shot him a look that clearly said 'oh hell no.'

"Oh really? Alright. I _LAVA_ a good challenge." You shot back.

" _flame_ on, kid."

"By the end of this, you're going to be _roasted_."

"wow. looks like you're really bringing the _heat_ to this huh?"

'Time to bring out the big guns,' you thought to yourself smugly. You leaned forward till you were inches away from Sans's face. You were metaphorically nose to nose with him, considering he didn't have a nose.

"Look, this was a _tinder_ battle, but I think we _burned_ up too much of Grillby's time with this idle chit chat instead of ordering."

You 'bopped' his glabella lightly and turned to Grillby. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Sans staring at you, a tint of blue on his cheekbones. "So Grillby, what are your options?" The flame man slid over a menu and you skimmed over it quickly and decided on a plate of fries and a light cocktail. You turned to Sans, "Want anything?" Sans blinked. "oh. just the usual Grillbz." Grillby nodded and left to prepare our food. You propped your elbow on the bar and placed the side of your face on your palm and turned to Sans.

"I believe you have met your _match_ ," you said teasingly. Sans nodded and saluted you. "I tip my hat off to you, kid. that was impressive."  
Grillby returned with your food. You noticed that Sans had fries and ketchup. Sans raised up his ketchup bottle.

"bone appetite?"

"Bone appetite."

You clinked your cocktail with his bottle of ketchup and took a swig. It was fruity which mingled perfectly with the salt that lined the edge of the glass. You shot Grillby a warm smile and a double thumbs up and he nodded in response.

"wow, kid. you're a charmer aren't ya?" And you laughed. "Yeah, I just kind of am chill." You shrugged simply while taking a sip of your cocktail. You didn't have any other explanation as to why you were the way you were. You just kind of took things in your stride and did whatever the hell you wanted.

"so what are you into?"

You thought for a moment. You felt that you were like a hurricane. You simply swept up anything that fascinated you a fraction in a storm. "I love gardening. I am a social sciences student and I like music and books and sleeping. Yup that's pretty much me. What about you Sans?"

"i like jokes, bad puns, ketchup and annoying people. i work odd jobs to bring the bread and that is just me too."

"Now that the fact that neither of us are serial killers, have we reached friendship level 2?" you asked in a childish voice.

"ok."

"Cheers to friendship level two?"

"cheers to friendship level two."

You both clinked glass and bottle once again. You both pretty much spent the rest of the hour digging into your food. The silence was broken by an occasional moan from you. It was the food that gave you pleasure, not anything else! Sans laughed every time that noise fell from your lips. You got uneasy glances from the other monsters but you didn't care. The food was orgasmic! You wiped your lips with a napkin and let out a tiny burp. "Sorry," you muttered sheepishly. "That was a pretty good meal."

Sans nodded in agreement. "ready to get out of here? the bill is on my tab so don't worry about it."

"You bet! Hang on though," You pulled out fifteen dollars from your wallet and dropped it into the tip jar. "Thank you Grillby," you called out, giving him a wave. He nodded at you and you swore he smiled.

Sans held the door open for you and you both stepped out into the chill of the night and you turned to him.

"So, sporadic hang out sessions?" You asked.

"sporadic hang out sessions." Sans agreed.

Both of you were heading off in the opposite directions. You two shot each other a small wave and left for your respective homes. Both of you were looking forward to your next meeting, whenever or wherever it was.


	3. Chronicles with the Tems (YayA!!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting chapter updates, references and context I make in my fics and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/

"....So yeah apparently our new Quan professor is going to be a monster. How cool is that?" Sasha rambled excitedly over the phone. "Mmhmmf!" you responded, your mouth stuffed with ice-cream. However, Sasha knew you too well and was able to translate your nonsense. "I know right! I wonder what they look like. Hey **__** , how many legs do you think they'll have?"  
You swallowed your ice cream.

"Wanna bet on it?"

  
"You're on!"

  
"I say two, probs anthropomorphic or whatever. Asgore and Burgerpants are two legged so I'm going with that."

  
"I say more than two."

  
"Lunch on the winner?"

  
"Deal."

You basically spent the night with Sasha letting you in on what's going on in her life while you continued stuffing your face with ice cream in your zebra onesie. You responded with grunts and moans.

"Oh wow it's gotten late. I got to get my report in. I'll talk to you later okay, **__."** Sasha said apologetically.

"K Byeeee."

You tossed your empty pot of ice cream in the bin and proceeded to check your messages. You found yourself a message from Burgerpants.

Burgerpants: _Why are my customers always the freaks :(_  
xxxxxx: _Rude. I'm your regular aren't I?_  
Burgerpants: _But you're already an established freak so._  
Burgerpants: _I mean a woman plonked her brat on my counter and just left to get stuff while I'm stuck there watching the cretin._  
xxxxxx: _Did that cretin do anything?_  
Burgerpants: _It chewed a hole through my cap._  
xxxxxx: _LOL. Okay okay how about we chill day after at the mall to get you a new cap. Sound good?_  
Burgerpants: _Delightful_. _See you_.  
xxxxxx: _Bye._

You shook your head. That weirdo. You loved him anyway. You glanced up at the clock. Sasha was right, it was getting late. You got up from your couch and walked into your bedroom. You set your phone to charge and you snuggled into the sheets. You pondered over what you were going to do tomorrow. Today was Wednesday so you hung out with Asgore again and watered his flower beds. You decided you might just stop by Sans's hotdog cart to kill time tomorrow after class. That sounded like a solid plan. You set your mind at ease and went into a dreamless sleep.

 

* * *

 

He wasn't there. His hotdog cart was nowhere in sight. You felt slightly disappointed. Sans did say he had many jobs and didn't promise he would be at the cart everyday but still. Damn. You pursed your lips slightly. Oh well. You pulled out your phone and realized that you had nothing to do for the rest of the day. You thought for a moment and figured it wouldn't hurt to visit the Temmies again.

"hOI!!!!! i'm tEMMIE!!!!" One of the Tems cried out as it bounded towards you. It started jumping violently at the single dollar bill that was clutched in your palm. You chuckled as it took your dollar by it's teeth and dropped it in a 'niSe hoOMman MUNns fOR colleg!!!' jar they set up for whenever you visited. It was a quarter filled with dollar bills. You laughed as you thought about your first meeting with the Tems.

On one of those days where you just kinda wandered around because you had no life, you found yourself encountering a lone square of land with large and tall fencing around it. You could see the tops of trees over it. The strangeness of whatever the hell that was piqued your curiousity and as you neared it, you found a sign which said, 'WeLCom tOO TEM vIlLage Yaya!!!' To which you were like: ...dafaq? But you approached the gates and knocked lightly. The gate opened with a creak and you were greeted with a creature that looked like a cat, with dog ears on the side of their heads and cat ears on the top of their heads. "hOI!!!!! i'm tEMMIE!!!!" It said and you introduced yourself as well. But it still referred to you as human. You just rolled with it. However when you sneezed, the Temmie simply said "hooman is allergics to tEM!! ... TEM unDerstan, TeM also allergics to TeM.". However, when you pulled out some tissue from your pocket and a dollar fell out the Temmie started vibrating intensely and you got freaked out. "Temmie, are you okay?" You asked it. It nodded vigorously and went, "yOU hav muNns?!?! HNNg. tEM nEEds MUNns for colleg. HNNgggg." Temmie rolled onto it's back and looked at you pleadingly. You stared at it blankly. "HOOmaN cAn B Bes Fwen Of TEMs F Yuu GiV tEM MuNns." You blinked but you were like 'eh why not' and handed your dollar to the Temmie. It's face contorted into an expression of pure joy. "haAAaaaaWwW," it yelled as it opened the gate for you. You then stepped into Tem Village and immediately wondered if you were high. The grass was light blue, you didn't know how the fuck that was possible but it was a thing. The place was full of Temmies. As soon as they noticed you, all of them bounded towards you, except for one that was stuck inside the fence????? Like, what?  
"HOI i'M TeMMie dis my Fwen Temmie." One called out to you.  
"Dis my FWeN TeMMie. duN foRGet Mah oDder fRIend."  
"Hello there, I am Bob."  
You whipped your head to the Temmie that spoke eloquently but decided not to question it. The Temmies circled around you and one of them tugged at your sleeve to sit down in the middle of them and you did. You spent the rest of the afternoon listening to the Tems babbling and answering a couple of odd questions here and there. The subsequent meetings with the Tems went in similar fashion and today was no exception.

You sat in the circle of Tems and waved at the Temmie that was stuck in the wall so it didn't feel left out.  
"Hello there, **__**. How are you today?" Bob-Tem asked. You were always slightly startled when Bob addressed you. But you liked him, nonetheless.  
"I am good, thank you." You said nodding with a smile.  
"What about you guys Temmies? How are you doing today?"  
You got a collective, "YAaaAYyyyYAaaaA!" In response. You laughed again.  
"wHAT dID niSe hoOMman dOO toDAi???" One of the Tems asked you. Nice human. That was their term of endearment they reserved for you. Only Bob used your actual name.  
"I went to college," you told the Tems. Again, you got a collective, "haAAaaaaWwW."  
"tEM sOON gOiNG tOo Colleg WiT niSe hoOMman YaYa!!!" One of the Tems said and you nodded. Yeah, to afford them all to go to college was probably going to leave you homeless but for now you decided to humor them. You figured you could find a way to break out of your deal soon. Eventually. But for the moment you decided to just sit there and hang out with the Tems.

You spent your afternoon with the Tems and decided to bid them farewell when the sun began to set. They collectively whined when you had to leave. That always never failed to break your heart but you forced yourself to leave Temmie Village with the power of deTEMMIEnation. As you walked through the gate, you blinked a couple of times to get used to reality again. It was slightly disorienting whenever leaving Tem village. You wondered if that was psychologically damaging but you shrugged it off.

You headed home, feeling satisfied that you spent another day of your fruitfully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So since I write this fic on my phone, can I just say that my autocorrect has gone fucking mental because of Temmie dialogue ugh. And also I wanted to dedicate this chapter to the Tems because I bet like some of you were like how the fuck did the reader get into such an arrangement with the Temmies. Fun fact: I also decided the paying a dollar thing after watching a bunch of Undertale crack because the Temmies are stereotypically known to be obsessed with money. Well the tEM shop one but you get what I'm trying to say! More plot will come soon don't worry! This wasn't a filler chapter I promise. ALSO I MADE TEM VILLAGE HAVE HIGH FENCES BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT ASSHOLE HUMANS TO HURT THE TEMS SO AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION I ADDED THAT DETAIL IN!  
> -Vodka_martini


	4. YOU'RE A GENIUS?!?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting chapter updates, references and context I make in my fics and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/

'Goddammit Sasha answer your damn phone!' You growled to yourself. She hadn't been replying to your texts or your calls, which you found to be so unlike her. She usually picks up within the first two rings. You assumed that her new Quantum Physics professor was probably grinding her _to the bone._ She hadn't even called to tell you who the monster was, what the monster was, what their name was and most importantly, if you won lunch or not. #Priorities

You were soooo bored too. You stopped by Sans's hotdog cart every other day, hoping you two could hang out but he wasn't around. You even walked by Grillby's sometimes to see if Sans was there. He wasn't there either. Yes yes you were desperate, you fully acknowledged it. You knew you could go back to Tem Village but you valued your sanity so you dismissed that idea. Heck, you even considered 420 blazing it with Burgerpants. You were THAT lonely and bored.

You missed Sans, as sad as it was to admit it. You really did. You had hung out with him on four occasions. You barely knew anything about him to miss and crave his companionship that much. Well you did know that he really loved his brother, Papyrus and really cared about him. It was evident from the way his eyelights seemed to brighten whenever Papyrus slipped into your conversations. You found it so adorable. You also knew he loved jokes and just being lazy. But you knew there was more to him. He was hiding something. He seemed to evade your prodding easily. You knew the feel so you could see right through him ( _lol pun_ ). But other than that, you barely knew the guy. But he barely knew you too. You seemed to be an open book to most, but in reality you weren't. You had so many layers and aspects to you. All you two had shared was the surface of your personalities and the weird shenanigans life had to throw at you. He didn't talk about life Underground. You didn't talk about your early days. You didn't know things like his favourite colour, biggest pet-peeve, favourite TV show, book, song etc. He didn't know that about you either.

Then you realized, barely any of whom you consider to be your 'friends' knew those details about you. Except Sasha, obviously. You felt your usually chill mood plummet into dullness. Fuck. You hated it when this happened. You decided to take a breather before those irritating thoughts came to torment you. You regretted your decision slightly as it involved you having to roll out of your blanket burrito and off the couch. You mumbled a string of curses in a childish voice as you grabbed your big ass hoodie, phone, keys, wallet and flip flops. You knew you were making a bad decision by wearing slippers in autumn. Your brain went, ' _hoe don't do it_ ' and when you refused to heed the warning it just went, ' _oh my god_.'  
The ' _hoe don't do it_ ' and ' _oh my god'_ battle with your brain is what fucks you up and thus you make bad decisions. But meh. You stepped out of the building, spotting and waving to James your neighbor as he passed by, an elderly man who gave you kind smiles and whom you shared some of your baked goods when you were bored and wanted to bake. Maybe you should bake some cookies in bulk and give them to all your friends!

 _'Friends? What friends?_ ' A voice in your head mused. "Fucking asshole shut up!" You muttered under your breath. You saw an old woman on the phone glare at you and you were like: ...whoops lol. She could go fly a kite for all you cared.

You took a trip down to the grocery store and decided to restock your fridge. All you had in there was a week old left over of take away Chinese and a moldy lemon. That didn't sound very appealing to you.

You pulled out a cart and went straight to the noodles section.

Chicken instant noodles. Fifteen boxes.

Cereal section. A big box of Captain Crunch.

Baking section. Three bags of sugar cookies and a tub of icing.

Alcohol section. Cheap milk vodka. Three bottles.

That pretty much concluded your shopping trip. You pretty much paid and booked yourself out of there and headed straight home. While busying yourself with setting away the groceries, the annoying voice in your head shut the fuck up which made you glad. You didn't have time for it's shit anyway. Once you were done, you decided to give Sasha a ring once again. Bitch didn't pick up her phone. You pursed your lips. Man you were getting slightly concerned now. You moved over to your work table and looked at yours and her schedule pasted up on the wall. You both ended classes at the same time tomorrow afternoon. You figured you could catch her then and ask her what the fuck was up with her. It sounded like a solid plan.

"YAS! You got this under control, **__**!" You thought to yourself. You then pulled out your phone and began to dance to Ninja Sex Party.

Chaos nulled chaos. That's how you dealt. And it worked most of the time. These flurries of movement and activity kept you from slumping into eternal boredom and activity, which was obviously a good thing. You were glad you knew what was going on sometimes. It made you deal better. You continued dancing to NSP until you were dog tired and tuckered out.

 

* * *

 

Your lecture was over. Finally. You were so jittery all session. You were either drumming your fingers to the tune of cell block tango or tapping your pen repeatedly against your bottom lip. You snapped out of either movement when you broke your nail against the table and when you smacked your teeth with your pen. 'Ten points for intelligence,' you thought to yourself. When your lecturer finally dismissed you, you flurried out of the room and power walked towards the science blocks. Them Quantum nerds better watch out for you! You were so focused on your witch hunt for your best friend that you didn't realized you collided head first into someone. Hard. You fell onto your butt. Hard. "Sorry," you stammered, scrambling up onto your feet.

"heh, it's no problem." Your eyes snapped up in shock. That voice. You could recognize it anywhere. You stood up slowly, coming face to face with Sans the skeleton.

He ditched his usual thick blue hoodie and was now wearing a cream coloured turtleneck with his usual basketball shorts. From your few moments on the floor, you saw that he had also ditched his fuzzy pink house slippers as well for sneakers.

"Sans? What are you..." You saw him holding the same Quantum Physics textbook that Sasha owned and it finally dawned on you. "No fucking way..."

"PROFESSOR SANS!" You heard a familiar voice call out, followed by a barreling Sasha. She skidded to a stop when she saw you and Sans. "Oh Sir, I see you have finally met my friend **__**." She said hastily. He chuckled. "yup indeed i have. so what's up?"

You cringed internally. God how could you have been so stupid not to put it together. Okay you couldn't blame yourself because he didn't tell you he was INTO GODDAMN QUANTUM PHYSICS OR THAT HE WAS A GENIUS OR HAD A MASTERS OR PH.D IN IT THAT ASSHOLE!

" **__**?" Sasha said. You broke out of your internal rant.

"Yeah?"

"I was just telling Professor Sans how when he talked about Werner Heisenberg it reminded me of you because Austin Beerworks Heisenberg beer is your favourite and how you could rarely drink it anymore because even though you have _the energy_ , you don't have _the time_." Sasha winked at Sans. A Quantum Physics joke obviously.

"and when **__** has _the position_ do they not have _the momentum_?" He quipped back.

Both Sans and Sasha began to laugh hard at the joke while you gritted your teeth.

"Haha yup. Riveting. Absolutely hilarious. Anyhoo Sasha, I'll see you at the gate."

You turned to Sans.

"Nice meeting you, _Professor_ Sans."

Sarcasm was dripping from your lips as you called him "Professor." You flashed him a sickly sweet smile and turned on your heel and walked away. You could feel the pin-pricks of his eyes burning into your back as you sauntered away.

You clenched the straps of your backpack tightly. You were fucking livid at this point. Why didn't he tell you he taught Quantum Physics? And why didn't he tell you he was passionate about it? Did he deem you inadequate to discuss this intellectual science shit to? You were hurt. You were legitimately hurt. The thing that hurt you the most is that he didn't share the part of himself that was clearly so important to him. He seemed so...happy. Spewing out quantum physics jokes seemed to be second nature to him. You thought he liked you. You thought he trusted you. You thought you two were friends...

' _Hah you still think you have friends? Wake up and smell the cheddar,_ **__** _._ ' The irritating voice in your head added helpfully. You gritted your teeth and shoved your earpiece into your ears. Fuck that voice. Fuck Sans.

You leaned against the gates of your campus, sullenly. You watched your peers stroll out of campus, arm in arm, laughing. That sight pissed you off even more. You felt a tap on your shoulder and you turned towards a smiling and sprightly Sasha.

"Hey **__**. Sorry about that. I had to discuss my upcoming thesis to Professor Sans. Did I keep you waiting for long?"

"No not at all," you said with a slight smile. No matter how peeved you were, the sight of Sasha made you feel better.

"So you owe me some answers. Why the hell weren't you answering my calls or me texts? Dude I was so fucking worried about you! And you didn't even call to tell me if I won lunch or not!"

"I'm sorry, **__** ," Sasha apologized sheepishly. "It's just Professor Sans was really intense the last couple of days and I kinda shut my social media and phone away to keep up with him. Sorry for making you worry." She looked like she really felt bad about the situation.

"Alright. I understand. But tell me next time before you plan to disappear off the face of the earth, okay?" and she nodded.

"I guess I owe you lunch then, wanna head to the spider bakery? I heard a couple of guys say good things about it."

"HELL YEAH!"

 

* * *

 

It was your first time visiting the spider bakery, also known as Muffet's Café. As soon as you two stepped into the bakery, you were greeted with the delectable smell of donuts and pastries. You and Sasha looked at each other excitedly. You both had good feelings about this. You both strolled up to the counter and were greeted by a spider lady with lavender skin, five eyes, six arms, and two legs. She was slightly taller than you.

"Ahuhuhuhu.. _._ Welcome dearies~ What would you like to have today?"

You both glanced at the menu board. There were so many options that you didn't know where to start.

"I'll have a..." Sasha started but you cut her off quickly.

"Surprise us Miss Muffet," you said with a wink.

Muffet let out a cute laugh. "Ahuhuhuhu.. _._ If you say so dearies... You can pay when you collect your order~"

You gave Muffet a thumbs up and proceeded to take a seat by the window.

"Hey I wanted a croissant!" Sasha pouted. You shrugged with a smile.

"Too bad, it would have taken us forever if you had me decide off the menu. It's faster this way. And you owe ME lunch don't you? So I get to decide..."

Sasha looked like she was about to protest but was interrupted by Muffet summoning us.

"Dearies! Your meal is ready~" she called out.

Sasha and I walked towards the collection counter.

"So Miss Muffet, whatcha got for us?" You asked eagerly.

She let out a pretty laugh. "Well dearies, I have prepared you both two croissants, spider donuts and spider ciders. These are personal favourite of mine!"

"Oh my god this smells delicious Miss Muffet!" Sasha cried. She went to the register to pay for our food while you brought the delectables to your table. You waited till Sasha joined you at the table.

"K I'm back!" She chirped. You slid her set of food to her. You both dug in hungrily. Holy fucking shit the food was orgasmic! You moaned while Sasha went cross-eyed.

"Oh my god this is soooooo good!" you cried out, your mouth stuffed with the spider donut. Sasha nodded, agreeing with you.

The rest of the hour was spent with neither of you saying a word to each other; you both were simply just savouring your food.

"So," you began, breaking the silence. "What is Professor Sans like?" You wiped your mouth with a napkin and leaned back and crossed your arms.

"You've got no idea, **__**. He is like, super intense. He knows his shit man. At the same time he exudes an easygoing confidence and the mood in class is like super light because he constantly cracks puns and jokes. He reminded me of you, actually."

That sounded like the Sans you knew. However, one thing struck you as odd.

"Wait, what do you mean by super intense?"

Sasha sighed. "Okay like the curriculum he planned is jam packed with research and experiments. His lectures are super fun and interesting and he is able to communicate the concepts really well."

"Buuuuuut..." you probed. There has got to be more than Sans being a great teacher.

"Well, he doesn't take any bullshit. Like when on the first day he started his lecture he was interrupted by that douchebag Chad I told you about. Chad was all like, ' _why should we listen to you teach us physics when YOU defy all the laws of physics. Like what do you know about quantum physics?_ '

And all Professor Sans did was grin and responded with, ' _firstly, i defy the laws of biology not physics do your research. and secondly, what do you know about quantum physics? you're in the class to learn from me. clearly, i know more than you. do not question my abilities or intelligence EVER again.'_ " Sasha paused.

"What happened after that?" You asked, leaning forwards slightly. 'This is getting interesting,' you thought to yourself.

"The light in his eye sockets disappeared and he told him:  
' _O R  Y O U ' R E  G O N N A  H A V E  A  B A D  T I M E_.'

And like Chad literally shrank back and the entire room dropped by like five degrees. Then he returned to his usual jokey behaviour but all of us got the message clearly: do NOT mess with Professor Sans."

"Wow..." You responded, your mouth agape. You didn't know Sans had this side to him. You always assumed that he was the one full of bullshit but you didn't think that he wouldn't tolerate it himself.

"I know right like we were all so surprised but some of us were so happy that someone got that asshole to shut up!"

You burst out laughing. "Alright I think it's time to go." You both slid out of your seats and headed to the door.

"THANKS MISS MUFFET!" You called out and she waved one of her arms at you.

"Goodbye dearies. See you again sometime! Also just call me Muffet ahuhuhuhu~"

"Kay' bye Muffet!" Sasha said as you left the café.

You both bid your goodbyes and headed your separate ways. Once you reached your home, you collapsed onto your couch tiredly. What a day. Then Sans crossed your mind. Your eyebrows knitted together and your lips pursed. You brooded about the situation and played it out in your head.

So you became friends with Sans by buying a hotdog. You both had hung out together a total of four times. You thought you knew each other pretty well. Not the personal details but as far as friends go. But he didn't tell you that he loved science. And was teaching it whereas you told him the majority of your interests.

Wait... The _majority_ of your interests. There was something that Sans didn't know about you. Granted, it wasn't huge as him being A FUCKING GENIUS but it was something. A plan formed in your head. You were going to make him feel the hurt and betrayal that you felt. And you were going to execute it perfectly...


	5. YOU'RE AN ARTISTE?!?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting chapter updates, references and context I make in my fics and Undertale randomness:http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/

Sans sat at his desk, marking the recent essays his students had submitted the day before. He simultaneously had his eye on his laptop, occasionally catching up on the latest Quantum discoveries. He pinched his glabella lightly. He's been so used to just doing nothing and taking the lazy way out that all the responsibility thrust upon him once he signed up to be a professor was slightly overwhelming. But this was quantum physics. Something dear to his heart. So he gritted his teeth and tried to enjoy every moment of it. He grabbed the next paper from the pile and found it to be Chad's. "ah shit..." He muttered, pinching his glabella once again. That kid was a pain in the cervical vertebrae ( _neck_ ). He had half a mind to dunk his substandard paper.

When he removed his fingers from his glabella, his mind wandered over to you; to that moment when you leaned close to him and whispered that freaking glorious pun and tapped him right there. He sighed. The thought of you filled him with guilt once again. He couldn't stop thinking about you and the hurt expression you wore when you figured out that he was a professor. Even though he hadn't really known you for that long, the fact that you shared so much about yourself to him in that short period of time said a lot about how much you valued your friendship with him. Yet, he didn't reciprocate. Science was an important thing to him. It made him who he was. It didn't make up the lazy and apathetic part of him, that was a whole other tangent, but it made him more perceptive, observant and deductive. Those traits helped him judge characters well and made him aware of potential dangers if something went awry. He could understand why you were so hurt and angry about the whole thing. He couldn't blame you if you decided to stop talking to him all together. But he really didn't want to lose your companionship. Other than him finally chasing after his passion for science once again (see the importance of quantum physics to him?), he really looked forward to your random visits. Your appearance was always so sporadic and unexpected that it made him feel like each and every day had something new to offer him. He lost that attitude a long time ago, when he learned about how each and every day could just be brought back to square one at any given moment, with no memory of it. But you made him look forward to each and every day. And that was something he felt immensely grateful for.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the rustling of paper. He looked down to his desk and found a paper airplane sitting on it. He knitted his brow-bones together. Where on earth did that come from? He glanced over and noticed that he had left the window open. He got up and went to close it. He picked up the paper plane and turned it around in his hands. 'i swear to god if this is a prank...' He unfolded it and found a neatly printed note which said:

 **_THE ARTISAN'S TAVERN, 73 CHANCERY LANE_ **  
**_6.55 PM, SATURDAY._ **

His eye-sockets narrowed suspiciously. This definitely felt like a prank but he had a gut, or lack thereof, feeling that this paper airplane had good intentions.

 

* * *

 

Sans shifted uneasily from one foot to another. He checked the time on his phone. 6.50 PM. He arrived at the address to find himself in front of a set of rickety metal stairs, leading down to a metal door with a sign that said, " ** _THE ARTISAN'S TAVERN_** ". The place looked shady as all hell and he wondered why he thought this was a good idea but he thought fuck it and pushed open the door and stepped inside. The sight he was greeted with was had him completely taken aback.

The place took on a gypsy tent look and was dimly lit with multi-coloured glass lamps. Bohemian curtains were draped across the walls. He saw people sitting at wooden tables and eating, others painting on easels and others sitting on patchwork quilted pillows scattered across the floor and simply talking. He noticed there to be a small stage positioned at the far left of the tavern. It was positioned in such a way that the stage was visible to anyone and everyone in the tavern. At the end of the tavern where there was a bar, Sans spotted Ragel the Mushroom and waved at him. Ragel walked over to him with a smile.

"Hello there, Sans. It has been a while hasn't it? What brings you here?"

"i have no idea..." Sans responded and Ragel got the feeling that Sans was telling the truth.

"Alright, here let me get you a seat." Ragel brought him over to the bar and Sans took a seat on the stool.

"Ragel, hook me up with a bottle of ketchup would ya?"

"You got it Sans." Ragel shot him a wink.

Soft jazz music filled the room, giving the place a lighthearted atmosphere. Ragel slid over a bottle of ketchup to him. Sans thanked him and took a long swig.

"so what have you been up to, buddy?"

"Well, back  Underground I felt like I could not express my artistic abilities and desires with others of the same calibre and struggle. So hence, I created the Artisan's Tavern where all kinds of artists could come here and create discuss their art with others. Artists sometimes go up on the stage to showcase their art, where we all listen and appreciate their talent. It's very enlightening."

"sweet. looks great." Sans wasn't one to relate with Ragel's artistic pursuits but he did appreciate the rationale behind the place. Ragel bowed his head in thanks but was interrupted by the creaking of the metal door. Sans turned towards the entrance and he felt his soul grow cold for a moment. You had stepped through the door, shaking your hair out of your messy bun.

" **__**!" Ragel exclaimed excitedly. He turned to Sans and excused himself before rushing towards you and pulling you into a hug. Once you two broke away, Sans noticed the others in the tavern turning towards you.

"Hey **__**!"  
"Hi **__**!"  
"OMG, IT'S BEEN FOREVER SINCE YOU LAST CAME **__**."

It was apparent that you were popular around the place and you grinned. 'so that was what you meant when you told me ' _like you wouldn't know..._ ' when i asked you if you didn't know what being popular was like,' Sans thought to himself.

"Hey guys! Sorry I've been really busy lately but it feels great to be back!" You said with a dazzling smile.

"You got any new poems to recite for us?" Ragel asked and you nodded.

"Well what are you waiting for? Show us!" A blonde girl had cried out.

You smiled and headed up to the stage. You pulled out a notebook from your messenger bag and settled yourself on a tall stool while Ragel helped set-up a microphone for you. Once he was done, he shot you a thumbs up and you grinned in kind.

"Right guys, so I am proud to present to you my latest poem that I have called _'Love forbidden as any as those wives' tale'._ "

You took a deep breath and began to speak.

" _I craved_  
_I concocted_  
_A vision_  
_Of us_  
_Laying eyes for the first time_

 _It was hazy_  
_It is dismal_  
_But we took those first steps_  
_Eventually falling into each other's arms_

 _Through sound and thunder_  
_The scene distorted_  
_As I roused and fell_  
_As I roused and fell_  
_But I do see clearly_  
_A battle_  
_Carnage_  
_Among fire and blood_  
_I saw me walking_  
_And finding you on the other side_  
_Of war and bloodshed_

 _We hid behind walls_  
_Laughing_  
_Away from the eyes of others_  
_Love forbidden as any as those wives' tale_  
_But your face_  
_I cannot see it now_  
_But clad in black_  
_And lovely crinkles around the eyes_  
_Who are you_

 _I ponder upon it_  
_Upon us_  
_Wondering who you were_  
_Why you were_  
_How you were_  
_But no answers came_  
_Only subliminal psychology_  
_And confusion_

 _I am still looking for you_  
_But under the shadows_  
_Of distant light_  
_For this was love_  
_Love forbidden as any as those wives' tale_ "

You looked up from your notebook and smiled shyly. The entire tavern broke into applause and there were several wolf whistles directed at you. Sans stared at you, his eye sockets wide with shock. 'holy fucking shit did she actually write that?!' He noticed the cover of your notebook having your name pasted in glittery letters and it was a confirmation that it was definitely your writing.

"Yo, **__**! You gonna sing for us today?" Someone called out to you.

"I'm not sure... Do you guys want me to?" You asked about the tavern and you were responded with hoots and cheers, to which you laughed.

"Okay sure. Jay?" You turned to a tanned man with dark, shoulder length hair that was sitting on one of the pillows. "Wanna help me out with the guitar?" He nodded and headed up on stage with you. You got off the stool and pushed it towards him. He sat down and began tuning the strings.

"Ready?" You asked and he nodded. "So we are going to perform a song called Satellite/ Stealing Time by above & beyond."  
Jay tapped the back of the guitar thrice and you close your eyes. Your lips parted and you started to sing.

" _My love is like footsteps in this snow, baby_  
_I follow you everywhere you go, baby_  
_The palest light has come to wake you_  
_But you will never realize_  
_That I inspire the dreams that guide you, baby_ "

Sans's jaw dropped open. Your voice was slightly husky, sexy and absolutely beautiful. It resonated throughout the room. He couldn't help but stare at you, awestruck.

" _I follow the winds that bring the cold, baby_  
_I'll light a fire in your soul, baby_  
_The lightest touch of feathers falling_  
_My love may be invisible_  
_But I inspire the dreams that guide you, baby_

 _You're a half a world away_  
_But in my mind I whisper every single word you say_  
_And before you sleep at night_  
_You pray to me, your lucky star_  
_Your singing satellite_  
_Your singing satellite, your satellite_  
_Your singing satellite_  
_You're half a world away..._ "

You paused for a moment and Jay continued to strum the guitar. Sans noticed you swaying your hips from side to side, getting lost in the music. He looked about the room. Everyone in the tavern were swaying to the soft beats of Jay's guitar.

Jay placed a hand over the strings, cutting off the guitar as you began to hum lightly. Jay began to strum his guitar once again as you resumed the song.

" _I'm stealing time from my own life_  
_All the hours that God sends_  
_I'm flying high on my red-eye_  
_And winding down the window_

 _My future is a Valentine_  
_Stolen in the perfect crime_  
_And I know I'm living out of line_  
_But with a blazing smile I'll die_."

Ragel slithered next to Sans with a serene smile. "She's certainly something else, isn't she?" Sans nodded, still staring at you.  
" **__** is one of my best customers. She comes here every other Saturday to sing or recite poetry for us. The other customers love her." Sans nodded dumbly. He had no words to speak. He felt his soul hum to the rhythm of your song. You were like a siren; he was absolutely entranced by your voice.

"does she do this for profit?" He asked the mushroom softly, not to disrupt the other customers and Ragel simply laughed.

"Not when it comes to my tavern. She sings and share poetry out of her own volition. She even collaborates with some of the other poets and song writers sometimes for the heck of it. However, she tells me she does go busking sometimes when she's bored. She even goes to the local hospital to sing for the patients. It's just a boredom relieving thing, she tells me. She writes a ton of poetry but she's not really committed to it. I suggested many times to publish them but she just ignores the idea. And she didn't have any professional training when it comes to singing. She learned to sing in the shower. She has no plans to make it their profession."

Sans stared at Ragel intensely. Holy shit. He didn't know that you had this side to you. He couldn't believe that you were an amazing poet and singer. And you didn't do it out of greed or profit. You did it because you just enjoyed it and had fun with it. 'why didn't she tell me she loved to sing and write...' Sans thought to himself, slightly stung. He was snapped out of his thoughts when your voice grew louder in crescendo.

" _You're a half a world away_  
_But in my mind I whisper every single word you say_  
_And before you sleep at night_  
_You pray to me, your lucky star_  
_Your singing satellite_ "

Your voice faded away slowly and Jay strummed the guitar one last time. The entire tavern broke into rowdy applause while more wolf whistles were thrown your way. Yourself and Jay stepped forward and bowed to the crowd. You gave the audience a beaming smile.

"Thanks guys! I've gotta dash. Keep working at it, Artisans. Keep persevering, kay? See you later Ragel!" You said with a wave and he tipped his head your way. You hopped off the little stage and shoved your notebook into your messenger bag. You looked up and made eye contact with Sans. You two stared at each other for three heartbeats until your lips curled into a small smirk as you shot him a wink. You turned your back to him and headed out of the tavern, the metal door creaking as it closed behind you.

Sans was left staring at the doorway which you left through. It had to be you who threw that paper airplane into his office. It had to be your idea to make him feel the same hurt and betrayal you experienced when you found out that he was a quantum professor. Well done, **__**. You definitely showed him. He couldn't deny how shocked he was to discover that you were an amazing poet and singer. But from what Ragel told him, you didn't exactly have the same emotional attachment to singing and writing like he did to quantum physics. It was just a drug to relieve the boredom you felt. You did tell him you loved gardening because nature made you feel at peace and was constantly just moving and changing with the wind, like how you were. Gardening had a more emotional connection to you which was why you shared that part of you with him. Sans sighed. He really did feel slightly hurt, but not exactly to your extent because according to Ragel singing and writing poetry wasn't what made you, you. He didn't know if it was true or not but he was determined to find out. He wanted to chase you down and demand you to tell him what they meant you, and why you didn't tell him that you were an artiste, even if it meant running after you a thousand miles.

However, it didn't occur to him that he was being slightly hypocritical. It didn't occur to him that you wanted answers too. You both went to bed that night, thinking grimly about the lack of trust that either of you had with the other.

The next encounter between the both of them, they realized, was certainly going to be... something...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! It's me. Anyhoo I have a couple of things to talk about.
> 
> Firstly, I just wanted to say that all the poetry that will be featured in this story is written by me and only me. It's completely original and I have not plagiarized it in any way shape or form. I love writing poetry and like it is MY work that is referenced in this story.
> 
> Secondly, I will link also the songs that I have the reader sing and I will also provide the name to them. So the song featured in this chapter is called Satellite/Stealing time by above & beyond, acoustic version. It's a brilliant song and I highly recommend you to listen to it :)  
> Link: https://youtu.be/Fd1mRXkwUrA
> 
> (It is also good to point out that the mushroom dance guy's charactor is canonically named Ragel so I didn't make up a name for him.)
> 
> Lastly, I apologize if this fanfic takes a while to be updated as I'm simultaneously writing two fanfics at the same time. The other is called He's just one of the good guys which is a Sans/original female character pairing. It's like really slow burn so it takes a while to write a chapter of it while a chapter for this fic is a breeze man.If you are interested please check it out, it'll mean a lot to me :)
> 
> Anyhoo I'm rambling. Talk to you later okay?  
> -Vodka_martini


	6. Roses are red; violets are blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recommend listenting to the song Ordinary Love by U2 while reading this chapter  
> Link: http://youtu.be/XC3ahd6Di3M  
> :)  
> Feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting chapter updates, references and context I make in my fics and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/

You were sitting by the window in your classroom, your favourite spot as you could gaze out of it and daydream. College was expensive as fuck but you had that covered a LONG time ago. So you stared out side the window, turning your hand in the crack of sunlight that had crept onto your desk; marveling at its warmth. It immediately reminded you of the song _Ordinary Love_ by U2.

 _'The sea wants to kiss the golden shore_  
_The sunlight warms your skin...'_

The words flowed through your head and you began to hum it softly. You shook yourself out of it before you decided to stand on your desk and provide a concert. You vowed to listen to that song after class had ended so it would get out of your damn head.

You felt a sharp prick against your hand and looked down to find a paper airplane resting on your desk. You smirked. Oh heavens who could it oh so be?!?! You unfolded the letter and found a note in messy handwriting.

 _'roses are red_  
_violets are blue_  
_didn't know you could sing_  
_or write poetry too'_

You rolled your eyes.

 _'Roses are red_  
_Violets are blue_  
_Your love for science equals to your bed_  
_Yet that knowledge I didn't accrue'_

You folded the same paper that Sans had written on into a pretty origami flower and tossed it out of the window.

A minute passed and your pretty origami flower was crumpled into a ball. You let out a huff as you unfolded it.

 _'roses are red_  
_violets are blue_  
_too long a story for this paper_  
_at my hot dog cart could I meet you'_

This was your chance to get some damn answers from that skeleton. You couldn't say no to him. Also you found the roses are red and violets are blue so freaking adorable and hilarious.

' _Roses are red_  
_Violets are blue_  
_At three sounds rad_  
_For now I have other things to attend to_ '

You crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it out of the window. It didn't return to you. You figured the message was taken.

 

* * *

 

Sans had his pink slippered feet propped up against the cart, his skull buried in the fur of his hood. That fucker. Of course anyone wouldn't expect him to be a goddamn quantum physics professor since he...acted like that. Then you began to wonder: what would Sans be like when he taught his class? You wondered if the personality of his that you've come to know as would flip 180. You vowed to sneak into one of Sasha's classes one day.  
As you approached him, you cleared your throat loudly.

" _O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?_  
_Deny thy father refuse thy name, thou art thyself thou not a montegue, what is montegue? tis nor hand nor foot nor any other part belonging to a man_  
_What is in a name?_  
_That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,_ "

Sans cracked an eye socket open and looked at you, amused.

" _So Romeo would were he not Romeo_ ," you continued.  " _called retain such dear perfection to which he owes without that title,_  
_Romeo, Doth thy name!_  
_And for that name which is no part of thee, take all thyself."_

Sans clapped at your performance and you bowed dramatically. You flopped down onto the seat next to him and grinned. "I think Shakespeare might be turning in his grave right now because of that atrocious performance of mine."

"nah you were alright, kid." To that you snorted.

"I might be able to sing and write poetry, but I know I can't act for shit so don't give me that crap." Sans let out out a rumbly laugh. Once his laughter died down, an awkward silence fell over you two. You both had no idea how to address the fact that he was a genius and you were an artiste.

"So," you started, breaking the silence. "You're a Quantum Physics professor huh? Why didn't you tell me you liked science. Did you deem me inadequate to discuss intellectual science stuff to?" The hurt in your voice was clearly evident and he looked up at you, startled.

"no kid. nothin like that. it's just i thought you wouldn't be interested in me once you figured out that i was a science lover and stuff ya know? you seemed like you were all about the fun and the science side of me is just really intense and serious so i guess i didn't think you were about that life? i dunno..."

You nodded. "I understand. But trust me I'm not all fun and that kind of stuff. I won't just like say sayonara to someone because they've got deep interest in something. I'm not that shallow. I mean Sasha loves quantum physics as well and yet we're best friends aren't we? So why would you assume that I'd just go nope to something serious?"

"sorry, kid. i shouldn't have assumed the worst of you. also," he looked at you slyly. "why didn't you tell me you wrote poetry and could sing?"

You sighed. "Singing and writing poetry isn't really that potent in my life, not like what science is to you. It's just there to occupy my time when I'm bored. It's not the same as how I feel about gardening when I'm one with nature. It's just... there. So I didn't really think it was important to mention it."

"kid, you're amazing at both. say, could you sing for me?"

"What, right here?" You asked him, looking at him as if he was crazy. He nodded and leaned back, cocking a brow bone at you. You sighed. You pulled off the baseball cap you wore on your head and shook you hair out from it. You stood opposite San's cart and set your hat down on the floor.

"watcha doin?" He asked. He didn't know what the hell you were up to and all you did was shoot him a grin. You placed your hand on your chest and took a deep breath.

" _The sea wants to kiss the golden shore_  
_The sunlight warms your skin_  
_All the beauty that's been lost before_  
_Wants to find us again_ "

People's heads began to turn your way as your voice echoed through the park.

" _I can't fight you anymore_  
_It's you I'm fighting for_  
_The sea throws rocks together_  
_But time leaves us polished stones_

 _We can't fall any further_  
_If we can't feel ordinary love_  
_And we cannot reach any higher_  
_If we can't deal with ordinary love_ "

You started to draw a crowd. Sans had to crane his neck to watch you sing. Hushed whispers fell from the spectators lips as they watched you.

" _Birds fly high in the summer sky_  
_And rest on the breeze_  
_The same wind will take care of you and I_  
_We'll build our house in the trees_

 _Your heart is on my sleeve_  
_Did you put it there with a magic marker?_  
_For years I would believe_  
_That the world couldn't wash it away_

 _'Cause we can't fall any further_  
_If we can't feel ordinary love_  
_And we cannot reach any higher_  
_If we can't deal with ordinary love..._ "

Your voice faded to a stop and the large crowd you had gathered around you cheered. You gave them a small bow with a shy smile gracing your lips. Your heard the clink of metal and found your baseball cap half full with dollar notes and coins. "Thank you guys so much!" You called out as you picked up your hat. You took your seat next to Sans and gave him a smug look.

"well...definitely did not expect that," he said looking down at the cash you got from your busking. "do this often?"

"Nah. I'm pretty alright with money, despite not having a job."

"rich folks?" Sans was getting curious now. How on earth could someone afford to pay the rent and go to college without an income.

"No, I had a lucky break one day."

"whaddya mean?"

You sighed. "One day when I was seventeen, just before I was about to graduate from high school I entered a poetry contest. The theme was about medicine or illness or something and the prize was winning a hundred thousand dollars and getting my poem published in a medical journal so I was like okay sure. I had nothing to do anyway so I rolled with it. Long story short... I won. For some ungodly reason I won. So the money I use to pay my bills and my poem is in a medical journal somewhere," you said nonchalantly. Sans stared at you.

"that's amazing kid."

You waved your hand dismissively. "It's no big deal. It's just a lame poem by a seventeen year old. Judges were probably high when they chose me," you joked. Sans didn't laugh, however. He just stared at you intensely. You felt your phone buzz and found yourself a message from Sasha.

Sasha: _Hey **__**. Coming for movie night tonight?_

You cursed. You forgot Sasha had arranged with you to watch a movie at her place.

"gotta get going?" Sans asked curiously.

You slung your bag over your shoulder and stood up. "Yeah, Sasha's expecting me. Oh yeah what's she like in class?"

Sans chuckled. "she's a good kid. very dedicated and eager to learn. one of the better ones in my class."

"Sounds like Sasha alright," you said drily. "Bye Sans, I'll see you around."

He gave you a lazy wave and you went your way. Sans knew something was up with you. The whole medical journal thing was something important, he knew. He was determined to find out what was your deal. So he closed shop and went his way, too.

 

* * *

 

Papyrus wasn't home. Which was good. He wanted to snoop around in peace. He went over to his desktop and got into the Internet. He typed in ' _ **__**_ ' and ' _medical journal_ ' into the search bar. The first result that appeared was a PDF for a book called "The Neurosis Doctrine." He clicked on it. On the page, your name was highlighted in yellow from the search and below it was your poem.

**_ Stygian Melancholia _ **

**_Shoulders slumped in defeat_ **  
**_Tail hanging between legs_ **  
**_A burlesque feint_ **  
**_Of attempting to evade a strike_ **

**_The blue devils linger_ **  
**_Like a phantom of the skull_ **  
**_A ghost_ **  
**_Haunting the conscience_ **

**_A potential menace_ **  
**_To existence_ **  
**_An inescapable presence_ **  
**_Aware of the mind and body and soul_ **

**_Poison of the mind_ **  
**_Hydra of the soul_ **  
**_Deeply rooted_ **  
**_In the heart of sorrow_ **

**_Black blood flows through the veins_ **  
**_Circulating all around_ **  
**_Clouded thoughts_ **  
**_Corroded by poisonous mushrooms_ **

**_Whispers spill toxic into ears_ **  
**_Enthroning the spirit_ **  
**_In the corona of the River Styx_ **  
**_Pulled to Tartarus by the sharp claws of the twister_ **

**_An infinite spiral into the darkness_ **

**_The poetry of my Bleeding Heart_ **  
**_Will not be able to place a name or face_ **  
**_To the state of my health_ **

**_Yet in iatrical provisos_ **  
**_In psychology and the science of the mind_ **  
**_It has a common noun_ **  
**_It has it's own countenance_ **

**_It is a cancer_ **  
**_Also known as_ **  
**_Melancholia_ **

_S_ ans's soul grew cold as he read every word of your poem. It struck a note within him. Those words expressed all he had felt for most of his life. He found that no words could eloquently explain his depression and apathy. Until today. He paused and re read your poem, drinking in the words and sighing in relief. It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off his chest now that he had found the words to express the pain he held deep in his soul.

He scrolled slowly past your poem and continued to read the journal.

 **_mel·an·cho·li·a (mel'_ ** **_ă_ ** **_n-k_ ** **_ō_ ** **_'l_ ** **_ē_ ** **_-_ ** **_ă_ ** **_),_ **

**_1\. A severe form of depression marked by anhedonia, insomnia, psychomotor changes, and guilt._ **  
**_2\. A symptom occurring in other conditions, marked by depression of spirits and by a sluggish and painful process of thought._ **

**_Melancholia traces back to Greek melan _ ("black, dark") and _chol_ ** **_ē_ ** **_("bile"). Medical practitioners once adhered to the system of humors-bodily fluids that included black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm. An imbalance of these humors was thought to lead to disorders of the mind and body. One suffering from an excess of black bile (believed to be secreted by the kidneys or spleen) could become sullen and unsociable-liable to anger, irritability, brooding, and depression. Today, doctors no longer ascribe physical and mental disorders to disruptions of the four humors, but the word melancholia is still used in psychiatry (it is identified a "subtype" of clinical depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and as a general term for despondency._ **

Sans leant back on Papyrus's chair and bit the tip of his index phalange lightly. He processed the information in front of him. You had written a poem called _Stygian Melancholia_ when you were seventeen for a competition, and you had won thus earning you a shit load of money and it getting published into a medical journal called " _The Neurosis Doctrine_." From what he read so far, he gathered that The Neurosis Doctrine basically contained information about all mental and psychological disorders. So why would your poem be...

Then it hit him. Melancholia. Under the section of the book where Melancholia was outlined. A sufferer's experience.

He realized that you were depressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOH PLOT TWIST!!! Hahaha I'm not saying anything but it's kinda but not really, do you get what I'm saying? In the next chapter the rest of the monster gang will meet the reader. And hilarity might ensue (hopefully because like I don't know if my sense of humor is appealing to you guys x)  
> Once again, song used is Ordinary Love by U2  
> Link: http://youtu.be/XC3ahd6Di3M  
> Whoop. See you guys next chapter!
> 
> -Vodka_martini


	7. The girl is mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting chapter updates, references and context I make in my fics and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/

"So what got you into Quan Phyz," you asked, opening up your blue Nice Cream. "Aww, it says I'm super spiffy. Sans! Look look!" You squealed excitedly, showing him the message. He chuckled. "it's called Nice Cream for a reason, kid." He pulled out his Nice Cream from the wrapper. "look here kid. mine told me to have a wonderful day." You opened your mouth to say something but your words died on your lips when you found Sans licking his Nice Cream with a blue tongue. Sans caught you staring and chuckled at your expression. "what's up? cat caught your _tongue_?"

"You have a tongue," you stated simply. "That is so cool! Is that made out of magic?"

"yep. i'm actually surprised you ain't weirded out by it."

"Well, to be fair I was initially _tongue_ -tied," you shot Sans a wink and he guffawed. "But yeah I mean I've been to Temmie Village on multiple occasions. You having a tongue seems normal in comparison."

"agreed."

You both sat in silence, simply taking in your surroundings and enjoying the delicious taste of Nice Cream.

"You didn't answer my question."

"hmm?"

"What got you into Quan Phyz?"

Sans paused for a moment and said, "well the thing about it is that it relies heavily on something known as potentiality. take normal physics. normal physics is basically the science that explores how our physical reality works because it focuses on matter that is larger than sub-atomic. which is basically everything. ya get what I'm saying so far?" You nodded and he continued. "quantum physics goes way beyond and below the realm of sub-atomic matter. when it comes to normal physics, there's a precise set of results that can possibly be obtained. no more, no less. in the quantum realm, like I said, there's potentiality. it means that there is more than one result, waiting to happen. a whole array of potential outcomes waiting to be tapped into. the fact that there is no linear direction with it and that there are so many possibilities it fills my horizons with wonder and possibilities. that's the main appeal it has to me, do you relate to that?"

"Wow," you said, looking mesmerized. Sans's passion was so contagious. The feeling of happiness that he felt when talking about the thing he loved made you feel privileged to learn this part of him. "Of course I relate to that feel. That sounds amazing!"

"it really is. that's why i'm so passionate about quantum physics. now, you tell me: what made you choose to study social sciences?"

You pursed your lips and thought for a moment. "Close to why you love Quantum physics I guess. Social science isn't just a singular subject. It has so many branches. Law. Psychology. Anthropology. History. Economics. And those are few of the branches that social sciences extend out to. There's so much to learn under this umbrella that is social sciences. It's not a dull linear course. There's so much variation and I can learn so many different things. There's never a dull moment. I can play around with all these fields. People disapproved of my choice to study this because they thought I'd be a jack of all trades but an ace at none. And I agree with them but that's okay with me."

"Also," you continued. "The basic focus of social sciences is the relationships among individuals within society. It makes me more aware of the people around me and prevents me from like just shrinking into me, myself and I, you know?" Sans nodded.

"woah kid. that's something. guess we have that in common huh? just wanting to have the world move around us constantly." You nodded in agreement.

"Exactly."

Sans watched you as you ate the rest of your nice cream. He could pick up the hints of your depression from the words you said and the way that you acted. To a normal onlooker, you'd seem to be a weirdo or an oddball. But Sans knew from _Stygian Melancholia_ , that that wasn't the case. Not even close. He knew why you constantly jumped from place to place. Why you were so adventurous. You didn't want to sink into the endless spiral of despair and the void that threatened to swallow you. You kept running, moving, not stopping for even a moment, because if you did you knew you were fucked.

Sans was familiar with that void and the feeling of despair. Being brought back to square one over and over again left him broken beyond measure. But now that the world could not be reset anymore, he willed himself out of that void. He opened the Pandora's box that was his soul: the aftermath of the many evils were already released out into the world that surrounded him and plagued him. But he brought out hope from the box. Little hope that was trapped and left in the box, a promise that things would get better. And that was what made him attempt to give it his all. Granted, the fear of the present being ripped away from him haunts him everyday and every night. But he tried. See, life is all about choices. He said fuck it and chose to embrace the tiny shred of hope he had left inside of him. He isn't entirely happy, he doubts he will ever be, but he faces the world without his fake smile 24/7.

The buzz of your phone snapped Sans out of his thoughts.

"That's Sasha summoning me. She's got a new boyfriend and wants to tell me all about it," you said with a displeased expression. You loved the girl to bits but all you wanted to do was curl up into your fluffy diva robe and just listen to music.

Sans stared at you for a moment. He opened his mouth and shut it just as fast, almost pondering if he should ask you a question.

"All right spit it out, bone boy. What do you want to ask me?"

He looked at you, surprised. "how did ya know i had somethin to ask you?"

You rolled your eyes. "You looked like a gaping fish for a moment. I didn't have to be  
Sherlock _Bones_ to make a guess." You shot him a wink and he chuckled.

"nice one. but okay i was wondering if you plan to tell your friend about us being pals."

"No I'm not going to."

Sans shot a surprised expression your way. "why not?" He asked, raising a brow bone.

"Well it would be really awkward to kind of talk about stuff that someone did with your professor you know? I mean I want to keep a professional relationship between you two so I figured it wouldn't be wise to tell her that."

"good call."

You both stood up. "Alright I'll see you whenever Sans. Can't meet you tomorrow. I've got to meet up with Asgore as per usual. I got him a couple of chrysanthemums for his plant bed so I'm super hyped about it."

The mention of Asgore reminded Sans of a burning question he had intended to ask.

"ok kid. catch ya later," he said giving you a lazy wave and a grin.

"Byeeee!" You replied cheerfully and went your way. The hunch in your shoulders that surfaced, when you thought no one could see you, didn't go unnoticed from Sans's perceptive gaze. His grin fell and he went on his way too, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his giant hoodie. He was a man on a mission, heading to his destination with purpose and determination.

 

* * *

 

Asgore Dreemurr was surprised to hear a knock at his door. He was lonely man. He rarely got many people on his doorstep. Frisk dropped by sometimes as well as Undyne. You were a regular; you dropped by every Wednesday precisely at 3.30 PM. He thoroughly enjoyed your company and was very fond of you.

He shuffled to his doorstep and was surprised to find Sans standing at his doorway. "Howdy, Sans what a surprise to see you here! Would you like to come in?"

He nodded and the two of them settled onto comfy armchairs.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Sans shook his head, politely refusing. An awkward silence settled between them. Sans and Asgore always had a sort of tension between them. Asgore found Sans's perceptive gaze unsettling. He felt as though he could see right through him. And the fact that Sans and Toriel were unshakeable friends did not make the situation better.

"So, what brings you here," Asgore asked pleasantly but Sans sensed a sort tentativeness in his tone.

He leaned forward and made intense eye contact with him. "do you know a human by the name of **__**?" Asgore looked surprised by that question.

"Why yes, I do. Why do you ask?"

"i'm friends with her too," he replied simply. Asgore nodded slowly. Tense silence rested between them.

"so why haven't you told the other's about her? are you taking advantage of her in any way?" Sans asked sharply, all of a sudden.

Asgore looked startled by that accusation. "Why, of course not! I would never dare to! She's a dear friend. I wouldn't dream of have ill intentions regarding her." Sans nodded but he still looked unconvinced.

"then why have you not mentioned her to the others?"

Asgore sighed. "I am a lonely man, Sans. My friendship with __ is where I find solace. Each Wednesday I spend with her fills me with a happiness I cannot describe. We sit out on the porch and just talk. I inform her of the human-monster relations and politics sometimes to get an unbiased opinion which helps to bring perspective to the matter sometimes. And since she is a social sciences student, she has some exposure to the field of law which makes her insight all the more valuable. And she simply tells me about her day. Every boring, mundane detail she tells me makes my day. She told me once about how she got mad at the furniture store for not giving her a display product whenshe assured them that she would buy it. She was absolutely livid. That story was told in a rather... colourful manner, to say the least." Sans chuckled. That definitely sounded like you. "And then we spend the rest of the afternoon gardening. Just standing shoulder to shoulder, pruning leaves or watering the flowers in silence is the highlight of my week. Our love for nature, makes each other's company all the more pleasant." Asgore sighed. "Sometimes, I feel like she is my guilty pleasure, not in a bad way. She's like my secret in a way. I wanted our camaraderie to be between us and only us. I felt like that made our friendship all the more special" Sans nodded slowly.

"i get you," he said quietly and Asgore stared at him. "i haven't told the others about my friendship with her either. same reason as you i guess." An awkward silence settled over them.

"hey, didja know she sings?" Sans asked and Asgore chuckled.

"Indeed I did. I introduced her to the echo flowers and I told her about how it repeats the last thing it hears. She asked me suddenly if it repeated someone singing. I told her I didn't know. So she surprised me by singing a song. The words to that song was, if I recall correctly:

' _Flower, gleam and glow_  
_Let your power shine_  
_Make the clock reverse_  
_Bring back what once was mine_

 _Heal what has been hurt_  
_Change the Fates' design_  
_Save what has been lost_  
_Bring back what once was mine_

_What once was mine'_

The flower imitated her voice perfectly which had her really surprised. She laughed at my stunned expression and just said, 'oh yeah I sing, in case you haven't realized by now.'"

"she writes poetry too."

"Really?"

"yeah. i didn't tell her i taught quantum physics at her college which made her feel hurt so she sneakily had me find out that she could sing and write poetry, information which she withheld from me. she writes poetry spectacularly."

"Are you here to have competition between who has a better relationship with __, or did you have something in mind?" Asgore sounded tired for some reason.

"nah. you know the monster gathering party we've got going on this Friday? i was thinking we could maybe invite her and introduce her to the monster community. i mean, Burgerpants, Ragel and the Temmies adore her; i have a feeling everyone would love her."

"That doesn't sound like a terrible idea. She would have a great time and so would the rest of us. How about you inform her about the invite with me, tomorrow afternoon?"

"sweet, see ya then." Sans teleported out of the room, leaving Asgore alone in the living room. He slumped against the armrest of the chair. His conversation with Sans left him drained for some reason. He hoped you would take the invite well, which he knew you would, and he hoped you wouldn't make the other monsters uneasy at the party that Friday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So how are you guys liking this fic? I personally felt so insecure writing this because I felt my writing is so formal and like Sans and Asgore are OOC in a way. Sigh well that's just me. I hope you guys are enjoying it in any case! Feel free to comment if you have any ideas :)
> 
> The song used was Healing Incantation by Mandy Moore from Tangled. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djwNCzfJpTw
> 
> That's me! See ya soon!
> 
> -Vodka_Martini


	8. Don't waste time with the masterpiece

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting chapter updates, references and context I make in my fics and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/

"So you guys want me to go to some monster party thing this Friday to formally introduce me to the other monsters?" You said slowly, trying to process the information just given to you. You did not expect this at all. You showed up at Asgore's doorstep, a bag of chrysanthemum seeds and a huge smile on hand... and face. Both Sans and Asgore greeted you at the door, a serious expression gracing both their faces. Then they dropped the bombshell: they wanted you to be a special guest at some party where the two of them planned to introduce you to the monster community.

"it's not really a party more like a semi-formal get together where we talk about surface life and catch up with each other," Sans explained.

"Okay but why do you have to introduce me to like the entire monster population?" You argued. "I'm already familiar with Burgerpants, Ragel, the Temmies and you two. Is it really necessary?" Sans and Asgore shot each other an odd look.

" **__** , you are a wonderful person and have been a great friend and acquaintance to us. We think it would be nice to have you there."

"yeah kid. the others are going to love you. and also you're an awesome buddy of ours and we want the others to know how awesome you are."

"And, we don't want to give you the impression that we didn't mention you to our community because we are ashamed to be acquainted with you. Hence, that is why we are extending the invite to you." Sans nodded in agreement and you stared at the two of them.

"Oh wow. I didn't get that impression at all. I didn't care if you talked about me to your monster friends or not. So don't worry I didn't feel insulted or hurt because you didn't mention me to them."

Asgore and Sans let out an audible sigh of relief. "thanks for understanding, buddy. so you coming or what?"

You smiled. The idea of a party or get together did sound rather exciting. "Sure I'm in! What's the dress code?"

"You just have to be presentable. Casual-smart is a more suitable way to put it. Sans, that applies to you mainly." Asgore shot him a pointed look, his eyes roaming over his thick blue hoodie, basketball shorts and pink house slippers and you laughed as a blue blush dusted his cheekbones lightly.

"k now that's outta the way i'll see you guys on Friday and meet you here. peace." Sans promptly left the house, leaving you and Asgore standing in the living room.

"Well now that that's done, ready to plant some chrysanthemums?"

"Of course, my dear. As always."

 

* * *

 

"No freaking way. Literally, the King of all monsters is going to have to personally introduce you to the entire monster population?! **__** you are so lucky omg!!!" Sasha seemed to be more excited than you were. You chuckled nervously.

"Dude what if the monsters aren't comfortable with humans and will be put off by me? Humans are kinda sort of dicks remember?"

"Well yeah, but don't forget Asgore is introducing you remember? If the King trusts you then they won't be as wary of you." Sasha definitely had a point there.

"But what if they find me weird? Too out there and weird and crazy and obnoxious?" You looked down into your lap and sighed. Your nervousness in regards to the party stemmed mainly from your shit self-esteem.  You hated the way you were. And you were pretty sure others would hate you too. Sasha put her hand atop of yours and you looked up at her.

" **__** , you're awesome. You're literally one of the sweetest people I know. You could charm the pants off anybody, maybe even Oscar The Grouch from Sesame Street. There's no one I know that hates you. Oh wait, actually scratch that. The guy whose nose you broke probably hates you." You chuckled.

"Who Larry? That asshole had it coming. He made Temmie cry! I couldn't let him get away with it!"

"See what I mean? You defended a bunch of adorable critters who's love and friendship you're forced to buy, which by the way you have to get sorted. Your money from winning the poetry contest is about to run out." You waved your hand dismissively.

"Okay mom. I'll deal with that later. For now, I summoned you here for an important matter and just telling you about the party," you deadpanned and Sasha looked at you nervously.

"I need you to help me pick out an outfit for the party..."

Sasha's face broke into a wide grin. "Well you've come to the right person. Time to raid the hell out of your closet..."

 

* * *

 

It was the day of the party. You stood on Asgore's doorstep, fumbling with the hem of your dress, trying to calm your nerves. Your head was bombarded with paranoid thoughts.

' _What if I accidentally insult one of the monsters?'_  
_'What if my handshake is so violent that I rip one of their hands off?'_  
_'What if I smack into someone or trip while I'm walking?'_  
_'What if they think I look overdressed and that I'm trying too hard?'_

As soon as that thought crossed your mind, you looked down at your outfit, analyzing it. You wore a royal purple knee length dress with a sweetheart neckline which sashayed when you moved. From the dress's black waist-band up, the dress had black lace atop. You paired it with black ripped tights and black boots. Sasha had done a wonderful job picking out your outfit. It wasn't too flashy or formal or girly; it had a hint of edge and sexiness which you thought suited you very well. You had styled your hair into a fishtail braid over your left shoulder. You also wore a silver necklace with a pendant in the shape of treble clef hanging from it, resting in between your collar bones and a simple silver bracelet that rested on your wrist.

You relaxed slightly. You felt you looked good and felt slightly better. You raised your hand to knock but you stopped short and wavered slightly.

"havin' second thoughts, kid?" A deep voice rumbled behind you and you whipped around to see Sans sporting a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Can you not sneak up on me like that? One day you are actually going to give me a heart attack," you grumbled and he chuckled. He gave you a once over and nodded approvingly.

"you look good." You turned warm at his compliment. You gave him a once over as well. You found that he ditched his big blue hoodie for a white collared shirt and his pink house slippers for a pair of white sneakers. He left his basketball shorts on, though.

"You're looking not so shabby yourself, though Asgore won't be pleased at your choice of bottoms," you said with a smirk.

"What will I not be pleased about?" You heard Asgore say as the door shut behind him. He wore a blue cape over a dress shirt and slacks.

"You're looking lovely, **__**. Although Sans..." He cast a disapproving look at Sans's shorts. "Well, that is as good as it's going to get," he said sounding slightly defeated and Sans and yourself grinned.

"So are we going to go or...?"

"yeah. hang on let me pull up our ride." Sans walked briskly and you heard the distant roar of a car engine started. You heard a screech of tires and found a red convertible waiting for you. Sans stepped out of the car and held open the door for you and Asgore.

"milady' and your majesty your pumpkin has arrived." You smacked his shoulder lightly. You sunk into the leather seats of the convertible and let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. A wave of anxiety washed over you. You began to fiddle with the hem of your dress again until Asgore placed his warm and fuzzy paw over your restless hands.

"You'll be fine my dear, do not worry. They will love you, I am certain of it." You shot him a shaky smile and you rolled your shoulders, releasing some of the tension. You had a feeling that what the night had in store for you would be quite... interesting to say the least.

 

* * *

 

The party was certainly an interesting sight to behold. Monsters of all shapes, sizes and colours ambled around; chatting to each other animatedly. Toriel stood on the sidelines watching scene, amused. Undyne and Papyrus together were a whirlwind of unlimited energy. They scampered about the hall, mingling with everyone (also suplexing them, coutesy of Undyne). Toriel felt a tug on her dress and she looked down to see Frisk looking desperate to get her attention.

She knelt down. "What is it, my child?"

"Where's Asgore and Dunkle Sans?" They asked and Toriel frowned.

"It is not likely for Asgore to be late..."

"IN MY BROTHER'S CASE," a nasally voice cried and Papyrus materialized in front of them with a swoosh of his cape, "I AM NOT SURPRISED AS HE MAY HAVE BEEN BOONDOGLING LIKE HE USUALLY DOES!"

"NGAHHHHH him and Asgore better show up quick it ain't the same without em" a gruff female voice cried out and Undyne slid into the scene. Alphys scuttled beside her.

"Y-yeah As-Asgore is n-never usually late for t-these gatherings..." As soon as those words left Alphys's lips, the doors of the banquet hall flung open and in stepped Asgore and Sans, standing shoulder to shoulder.

"Howdy," Asgore called out cheerfully and Sans just said, "sup."

"BROTHER! YOUR MAJESTY! YOU HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED! WHAT IS THE REASON FOR YOUR DELAY?" Papyrus asked rather loudly, gaining the attention of all the monsters in the room. They turned to Asgore and Sans curiously.

"We were simply held up, not to worry..." Toriel narrowed her eyes. Sans and Asgore weren't very friendly with each other. They stayed out of each other's way out of wariness. So she found it odd that they would be engaged together in some activity or the other. She stared at Sans pointedly and he shot her a wink cryptically.

Asgore cleared his throat. "We would like to have your attention, friends." The monsters fell silent and Sans said, "yeah we gotta tell y'all something."

"We have brought a very important guest with us, tonight. Sans and I would like to introduce to you a dear friend and acquaintance we have made. We care deeply about her and it is our pleasure to-" A female voice interrupted Asgore.

"I swear to god you guys are making me sound like a freaking museum showpiece and not a person. Jeez guys." They were both shoved out of the way and you stepped forward with a beaming smile on your face. "Hi," you said with a cheerful wave. "I'm **__** , a friend Asgore and Sans. It's nice to meet you all."

All eyes in the room fell upon you and for three heartbeats, there was awkward silence which made your heart beat profusely in your chest. The irritating voice in your head started its round of torment.

_'Oh god. There you've gone and done it. You should've shut your trap and let Asgore and Sans do their thing. You made a fool of yourself. But does that really come across as a surprise, **__**?'_

"NGAHHHH FROM THAT ATTITUDE, I LIKE YOU ALREADY PUNK!!!" A gruff yet feminine voice called out, silencing the asshole in your head. A fish-like humanoid monster with blue scales and a long bright red ponytail stepped forward. She looked incredibly buff and ripped. She shot you a toothy grin. "The name is Undyne," she said, extending a hand out to you. You accepted the handshake. " **__** ," you said and Undyne nearly ripped your arm out of your socket from the intensity of her handshake. She released you and you relaxed your shoulders.

You felt a tug on the hem of your dress. You were greeted by a small child who looked no more than nine years old with short brown hair and sallow skin. They wore a cute striped jumper and a huge grin. You knelt down to make eye contact with them. "Hey there cutie. What's your name?"

"I'm Frisk." They had a soft spoken voice but didn't seem to be at all shy. You opened your mouth to say something but was completely taken aback when Frisk grabbed hold of your hand and planted a fat kiss on the back of your hand while wiggling their eyebrows flirtatiously. You stared at them for a moment but then burst out laughing.

"Oh man. You're absolutely precious. Colour me charmed. You've just got yourself a new admirer!" You stood up and grinned down at them but not a moment later the lights of the hall shut off completely which led to hushed, confused whispers between the monsters as to what was going on. You heard Sans groan behind you, as if he knew what was coming up and you turned to him with a quizzical expression on your face. He shook his head at you and you frowned. You turned back to Frisk and opened your mouth to ask them what the hell was going on but was cut off when a single spotlight shone onto the centre of the ballroom. All the other monsters parted and a metallic humanoid figure stood in the centre of it, their back turned to you.

"Oh my," a deep, dramatic male voice with a slight echo to it boomed. "You choose to admire them? Well darling, you have no idea what charming means do you?" There was a pause and it turned around. You were greeted with a robot that had metal segments below and above his left eye and a body made out of pink and black metal pieces. He had absolutely fucking sexy legs which you found yourself immensely jealous of. You stared at the robot, enchanted. It moved fluidly towards you.

"Let me show you what charming really means," he crooned and pushed Frisk out of the way which led him to pout and cross his arms. You almost laughed at the sight but was stopped short when you found yourself nose to nose with that robot. He stared at you with those intense, mechanical eyes. You found a cold arm snaking around your waist suddenly and you were thrust into the robot, chest to chest. You stared at him with wide eyes and an expression of ' _what the absolute hell is going on what what what._ ' The robot the pulled you into a dip, where one of your legs was delicately outstretched and where your other leg was bent at a ninety degree angle on the floor. Your mouth dropped open in shock and the robot shot you a seductive smirk.

"Hello there, gorgeous. The name is Mettaton. How do you do?" He said in a sultry voice and you just blinked up at him. Mettaton released you from your dip and straightened you up. The lights of the ballroom returned to normal and you noticed the other monsters observing the scene looking amused.

"Now darling, how's that for charming?" He asked and you chuckled.

"I'm definitely charmed, Mettaton. I guess you can say you have..." You paused for a moment. " _Swept me off my feet!_ " You immediately turned to Sans and a hushed silence fell upon the hall. Sans stared back at you, jaw wide open. You both burst into rowdy, infectious laughter smacking each other. Soon, the other monsters began to laugh as well.

"GAHHHH HUMAN YOU ARE A PUN LOVER TOO?!?!" Papyrus exclaimed, throwing his arms up dramatically.

"Oh yeah. Puns are my forte," you said cheekily.

"yeah bro. she and i are too _punny_ for you to handle." Sans said lazily and Papyrus practically screamed. Asgore stepped between the three of you.

"That is enough now! Let us not get distracted any further and resume this gathering." The monsters didn't need to be told twice and the hall was once again filled with pleasant conversation. You observed the scene awkwardly for a moment, not knowing where to go. You felt a light tap on your shoulder and turned to Asgore and Sans looking at you with smiles on their faces.

"well whaddya waitin for, kid? let's go have the other monsters fall in love with ya." Asgore nodded and extended a hand out to you which you took gratefully. They both brought you into the circle of monsters.

 

* * *

 

You were having a blast. The monster community seemed so accepting and were eager to get to know you. You ran into Ragel who gave you a kiss on the cheek. " **__** , it is wonderful to see you here," he said warmly and you shot him a grin in kind.

"Ditto," you responded. Ragel then took you by the hand and introduced you to the monsters, to which you felt immensely grateful for. You didn't know where to start. You managed to talk to nearly all of the monsters. They struck up odd conversation topics, which you didn't mind indulging them and engaging in. You didn't see Burgerpants or the Temmies which had a pang of disappointment shoot through you. But you told yourself that tonight was a night to socialize and meet new monsters so you thought no more of it.

You met two monsters called Bratty and Catty. Bratty was a tall, green alligator monster while Catty was a plump purple cat creature.

"I'm Bratty, and this is my best friend, Catty." Bratty said.

"I'm Catty, and this is my best friend, Bratty." Catty told you as well.

They both seemed to have a sort of jersey-girl accent, you noticed. You introduced yourself and got chatting. You found out that they both ran a second hand store and promised to visit them one day.

You met a lovely ghost by the name of Napstablook. He seemed to be uncertain of himself which touched you. You did your best to encourage him and make him feel better about himself. When he told you he was into sound mixing, you immediately perked up and asked him if he could show you his work sometime. He seemed to brighten up at the prospect and you walked away from him, beaming and feeling good about yourself.

You met the group of dog monsters. You made the mistake of petting one of them because the entire group knocked you to the ground, begging for pets. Once you satisfied their petting quota, they released you and stumbled over to Sans.

"That was... interesting," you mumbled while straightening out your dress. Sans chuckled.

"rookie mistake, kid. petting the dog gang is by far a road ya don't wanna go down. also, come on. my bro and the others are excited to meet you," he gestured to the group of monsters which Asgore was talking to animatedly. You felt a pang of nervousness. They seemed to be the life of the party, and a highly respected crew. Sans seemed to sense your insecurity.

"hey don't sweat about it. the other monsters love ya. i'm sure they won't be any different." Sans had a point and you nodded slowly.

"Yeah you're right. Lead the way, Bone-boy." Sans walked towards the gang and you ambled behind him. As you approached them, they turned towards you.

"heya," Sans said lazily and you greeted them shyly as well.

"HELLO BROTHER AND NEW HUMAN! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS NYEH HEH HEH HEH!" You took a look at Papyrus. He was two heads taller than you and you had to look up to talk to him.

"Nice to meet you, Papyrus. Sans has told me wonderful things about you. You're much cooler in person!" An orange blush dusted his cheekbones.

"WOWIE! I AM VERY COOL, NYEH HEH HEH HEH!" His enthusiasm was so damn infectious, you couldn't help but smile widely. Another monster stepped forward.

"Hello. My name is Toriel." She was an anthropomorphic goat monster with pure white fur and a warm smile. She wore a pretty purple dress and her eyes sparkled. She carried herself with a rather motherly and regal grace. This was Asgore's ex, you realized.

"Hi Toriel, I am **__**." You nodded to Undyne, Mettaton and Frisk, acknowledging their presence. A reptilian monster with yellow skin waved at you shyly. She wore glasses and fidgeted with the hem of her dress nervously. "H-hi. I-I'm Alphys." You gave her a wave as well and reintroduced yourself. Then You got chatting.

You learnt that Toriel was a teacher at the local school while Undyne and Papyrus were their gym teacher. Alphys apparently worked at the research centre. They all seemed very passionate about their jobs and you couldn't help but listen in awe.

"So what are you into punk?!" Undyne demanded and you shrugged.

"Nothing much really. I'm a social sciences student at University and I just like gardening and sleeping and reading." To that Sans snorted. You shot him a glare.

"she writes poetry.' Sans added.

"And sings, rather spectacularly as well." Ragel slid into the scene and smirked at your flabbergasted expression. What was their problem? You didn't care about singing and writing poetry that much so you didn't understand why they wanted to announce it to the whole world.

"My my, a star too. Stop it darling leave some talent for the rest of us." Mettaton placed the back of his robotic hand on his forehead and fanned himself dramatically.

"WOWIE HUMAN! YOU MUST BE SO GREAT, THOUGH NOT AS GREAT AS ME," Papyrus gushed and you waved your hand dismissively.

"It's really nothing I just dapple sometimes." Sans rolled his eye lights at that.

"NGAHHH I can play the piano. Come sing while I play," Undyne said as she grabbed your wrist and began to pull you rather forcefully.

"I'm really not that good," You tried to say but Undyne simply ignored you and continued to drag you to the grand piano that sat on little podium towards the end of the hall.

"Knock em dead darling," Mettaton called out as you took your place.

"What song am I singing?" You whispered to Undyne.

" _The Sound_ by _1975_. Heard of it?" You smiled. You loved that song and nodded. She tossed you a microphone and you took a deep breath. Undyne began to play and the monsters turned towards the two of you, wondering what was going on.

 _"Well I know when you're around cause I know the sound_  
_I know the sound, of your heart_  
_Well I know when you're around cause I know the sound_  
_I know the sound, of your heart"_

You heard noisy cheering from the back of the hall as soon as you started to sing. You felt a surge of confidence swell through you. _'You can do this, I know you can.'_ With that thought, a blazing smile spread across your face.

_"I can't believe I forgot your name_

_Oh baby won't you come again?_  
_She said 'I've got a problem with your shoes and your tunes_  
_But I might move in' and_  
_'I thought that you were straight, now I'm wondering'_

 _You're so conceited_  
_I said 'I love you'_  
_What does it matter if I lie to you?_  
_I don't regret it but I'm glad that we're through_  
_So don't you tell me that you 'just don't get it'_  
_Cause I know you do._

 _Well I know when you're around cause I know the sound_  
_I know the sound, of your heart_  
_Well I know when you're around cause I know the sound_  
_I know the sound, of your heart"_

By this point, all the monsters were cheering and clapping along to the tune.

 _"It's not about reciprocation it's just all about me_  
_A sycophantic, prophetic, Socratic junkie wannabe_  
_There's so much skin to see_  
_A simple Epicurean Philosophy"_

While you were singing that verse, you heard powerful humming coming from somewhere in the crowd. You craned your neck, searching for the sound of the humming while still singing. Your eyes then locked onto a monster that seemed to be half hiding behind the thick curtains. You could see it moving slightly. You knew that they were definitely the source of the humming. They seemed so shy that you couldn't help but feel sorry for them. You began to make your way through the crowd. The monsters jumped out of the way, wondering what the hell you were doing.

 _"And you say I'm such a cliche,_  
_I can't see the difference in it either way._  
_And we left things to protect my mental health_  
_But you call me when you're bored and you're playing with yourself"_

You approached the monster and tapped them. They turned to you. They were a fish-like monster with green skin and blue hair that covered it's face. It was the same size as your head. You knelt down.

 _"You're so conceited_  
_I said 'I love you'_  
_What does it matter if I lie to you?"_

You sang to it gently. It turned and you realized it was a she.

 _"I don't regret it but I'm glad that we're through_  
_So don't you tell me that you 'just don't get it'_  
_Cause I know you do."_

You made eye contact with her as you sang. She stared back at you, humming and harmonizing with you.

 _"Well I know when you're around cause I know the sound_  
_I know the sound, of your heart"_

You stood up and beckoned her over to where Undyne was playing the piano. You stared walking through the crowd to where she was and turned around to find the little fish monster following you.

 _"Well I know when you're around cause I know the sound_  
_I know the sound, of your heart"_

The monster harmonized perfectly with you. When you both reached the podium and turned around to face the other monsters, they began to clap to the music. You began to sway your hips as you sang.

 _"Well I know when you're around cause I know the sound_  
_I know the sound, of your heart_  
_Well I know when you're around cause I know the sound_  
_I know the sound, of your heart"_

The little fish monster began to gain confidence and bounced up and down excitedly as it hummed along with you.

 _"Well I know when you're around cause I know the sound_  
_I know the sound, of your heart_  
_Well I know when you're around cause I know the sound_  
_I know the sound, of your heart"_

The piano keys died off and Undyne came to stand in between you and the fish monster. The hall erupted in noisy cheering. You looked down to see the fish monster blushing.

"Not bad punk. We make a great duo," Undyne exclaimed with a toothy grin and a violent punch to the shoulder. You groaned a little and nodded. You and Undyne started to walk back to the monster gang. Sans leant against the wall and shot you a shit eating grin.

"dappling in singing, huh?" He asked teasingly and you rolled your eyes.

"Very much so." And the other monsters protested.

"My child you are too modest. You have a beautiful voice," Toriel said as she placed a hand on your shoulder.

"Mom is right you can really sing," Frisk gushed and you smiled. Mettaton stepped forward.

" **__** , thank you for singing with Shyren," he said looking over at the fish monster. So that was her name. "She's rather shy and was always scared to sing. But you brought her out of her shell. She means a lot to me. She's my backup singer and I think you might have boosted her confidence." He clasped your hands in his and stared at you intently. "Thank you."

You turned warm. "Oh it's no problem. Really. I liked singing with Shyren." A wave of exhaustion fell over you. You checked your phone and found it to be midnight. Holy fuck you were at the party for four hours! How time flew when you were having fun.  
"Oh wow guys it's really late. I've gotta get going." To that you heard Papyrus and Undyne let out whines of protest.

"BEFORE YOU LEAVE HUMAN, MAY WE HAVE YOUR PHONE NUMBER SO WE CAN HANG OUT SOMETIME?!" You nodded excitedly. You looked forward to their company. As soon as you pulled out your phone, Undyne and Papyrus practically wrestled each other to key their numbers in. Toriel, Frisk, Mettaton and Alphys showed your phone less abuse. Once they were done, you took it back.

"hey kid, since it's late i'll walk ya back. sound good?" Sans asked.

"Golden. Let's go. Bye everyone!" You got a collective bids of goodbyes as you left the place. As soon as the doors shut behind you, your shoulders slumped. Sans led you to his red convertible. Man, you were beyond exhausted. Socializing was a tiring feat.

"you did good today. i'm glad the others got to meet ya."

"I'm glad I got to meet them. I had fun tonight."

You gave him your address and a comfortable silence rested between you as he drove you.

"ya know," he started. "ya don't have to be so hard on yourself all the time. you're better than what ya think yourself to be." You stared at him with wide eyes. So he knew about your insecurity.

"I'm not sure about that..." You said wistfully. He got to your place and you stepped out of the convertible.

"Thanks for the ride, Sans. See you."

"see ya buddy." You watched him as he whirred off and sighed. You didn't bother taking off your jewellery. You just pulled off your leggings and collapsed in bed with your dress still on.

You knew, that from this day your social life would be fucking off the charts. And you looked forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY HELLO EVERYONE! Firstly I am so sorry for taking such a long time to post this chapter. It took fucking forever to write ahhhh. Sorry :'( I feel terrible because I'm simultaneously writing this and another fanfic called he's one of the good guys and that hasn't been updated because of this and ahhhh it's a mess.
> 
> Okay now that that's out of the way I'd like to have your opinion on this. So are you guys okay with having the song lyrics written out? As the reader sings? Or do you find it annoying? Please tell me because I'm not sure if I should have the entire song written out you know? So yeah. Link time!
> 
> So this is what the reader's dress looked like (if you had a hard time picturing it): http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/shortcake-story-dress-in-purple?SSAID=256758&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=sas&utm_campaign=256758&utm_content=417942&gate=false
> 
> The song mentioned in this fic chapter is called The Sound by 1975. Here is where you can listen to it: https://g.co/kgs/dyNCf
> 
> Soooo yeah. That's me. I'll see guys in the next chapter. Mwa <3  
> -Vodka_martini


	9. GET THE FUCKING LAWN MOWER

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting chapter updates, references and context I make in my fics and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/

You really needed to buy a portable charger.

Ever since the monster party bash, your phone was blowing up with texts, inviting you to this and that which was not healthy on your phone's battery life.

Toriel: _Hello my child. Would you like to come over tonight for dinner? Your company last night was delightful and we like to get to know you better._

THE GREAT PAPYRUS: _HELLO THERE NEW HUMAN FRIEND **__**! WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME OVER TO TORIEL'S (AND TECHNICALLY SMALLER HUMAN'S HOUSE TOO) FOR DINNER? -NYEHFULLY YOURS, PAPYRUS_

Undyne: _Hey there punk! Wanna come over to Toriel's tonight? She's gonna make us dinner!_

You felt slightly overwhelmed. You'd never had many people text you before. You had always been limited with your friend quantity. But you couldn't help but feel slightly warmed that they liked you so much they wanted to hang out with you so soon. So you forwarded them all a response with:

xxxxxx: _Heyyyy. Yeah absolutely, I'd love to come over for dinner :) See you tonight!_

Needless to say, they were all super pumped to have you come over. And you reciprocated the feeling as well. So you arrived that evening feeling spry and bouncy. You knocked on the door and the door swung open to a grinning Sans.

"sup," he drawled lazily and you punched his shoulder lightly with a grin. You entered Toriel's lovely home, taking in the sight of it. The walls were a lovely lemon yellow shade and the living room hosted a simple flat screen TV with a single sofa and two arm chairs surrounding it. There was a small table in between the sofa and the TV. It held a flower pot with a single lone flower in it. Your love for gardening had perked up your curiosity.

You moved to the table and knelt, inspecting the flower. It had a green stem and six petals of a unique shade of yellow. You didn't think it was a sunflower as sunflowers were usually larger in size and it's petals were a much deeper yellow compared to that flower.

"Sans," you called out beckoning him over.

"wassup, kid?" He asked.

"What kind of flower is this? I've never seen anything like it," you asked prodding the stem and petals lightly. The flower suddenly produced a face.

"Hey watch it," it snapped and you screamed. You jumped to your feet and ran behind Sans, clutching his shoulders.

"Sans the flower just talked to me holy fucking shit hold me I'm scared."

"Yes I just talked. Big deal, scaredy-cat," it hissed at you and you squealed once more, burying your face into Sans's shoulder.

"SAAAANNNS GET THE FUCKING LAWNMOWER WHAT THE FUCK."

Sans gently pried your hands away from his shoulders and turned to you with an amused smirk. And you glared at him.

"Don't look at me all judgingly... What's that face for?" All he did was chuckle.

"kid, you're a funny one don't cha know that? you're cool with me downing a bottle of ketchup, having a tongue, and all the other different monster species without question yet you're freaked out by a talking weed?"

"Dude I'm all about botany and I've literally seen almost all types of flowers with Asgore but not a freaking talking flower with a FACE!!!" You exclaimed throwing your hands up in the air.

"but an echo flower technically speaks too." Sans argued.

"Yeah but they're not sentient, are they?" You quipped back.

"What are you too idiots yammering about?" The flower asked you both, interrupting your intense discussion. You turned to it.

"Yo, flower, could you shut up for a moment. Thanks." You turned back to Sans who started laughing at you.

"ah kid. never seen anyone sass the thing they're scared of. don't worry. weed's harmless."

"Who you calling a weed, smiley trash bag?" It asked Sans angrily.

"i'm calling you a weed, weed," he responded calmly which enraged the flower even more. Before the flower could lose it's shit, Papyrus, Undyne, Frisk, Alphys and Toriel burst into the room.

"HUMAN **__** AND BROTHER! WHAT IS THE COMMOTION? ARE THERE ANY POTENTIAL DANGERS WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT?" Papyrus got into a fighting stance and Sans chuckled.

"nah bro. weed startled em' that's all."

"I see you've met Flowey then." Toriel stepped forward calmly. "Well, let us acquaint you both. Flowey, this is **__**. **__** , this is Flowey. Flowey the flower." By then you had got your wits together. A talking flower. You shouldn't have been surprised at that point. Sans was right. You were as cool as cucumber when you dealt with a skeleton who could eat without having a stomach or food that  
literally doesn't fall through their ribs. So you took a deep breath and composed yourself. You stepped forward.

"Hey there Flowey. Sorry about the whole freak out thing. I was just startled that's all. Anyway hi." You smiled pleasantly at it and held out your two fingers to one of it's leaves on the side of it's stem. You didn't know the proper etiquette to greeting a talking flower so you just took a stab at it. The flower swatted your fingers with it's leaf, rejecting your greeting.

Frisk flicked it's petals. "Play nice, Flowey," they chided and it turned it's head away from you. Frisk turned to you apologetically. "Sorry, he's a bit of a drama queen. Right Flowey?" Frisk flicked Flowey's petals once again.

"Ow ow okay okay. Hi **__** ," he said sullenly and held out his leaf to you. You took it between your two fingers and shook it lightly. He pulled away quickly and you noticed Frisk wearing a beaming smile on their face. Toriel called you all to dinner and Papyrus, Undyne and Frisk zoomed to the kitchen excitedly while Toriel, yourself and Alphys followed at a leisurely pace leaving Sans and Flowey behind. The two of them eyed each other warily.

"So you made a friend who's literally insane. Nice choice, smiley trash bag," Flowey sneered. Sans rolled his eye-lights and grabbed a plastic spray bottle and squirted water at his face. Flowey spluttered and Sans shot him a grin.

"takes one to know one, doesn't it weed? c'mon gotta take you to dinner," Sans scooped up Flowey's flower pot and brought it to the dining table.

Frisk, noticing Flowey's entrance brought out a baby's high chair and set Flowey on top of it and strapped him in. Flowey did not look happy at all. You watched this process with interest. You bit your lip, hard, so you wouldn't burst out laughing. You made eye contact with Sans and he winked at you. You almost lost your shit completely but Toriel saved you by placing a gigantic pie in front of you. You felt slightly overwhelmed by the pie (which occurred to you later that it was completely ridiculous to feel that way about a gargantuan pie. You were a food junkie so you felt disappointed in yourself to reject food).

The others however, had no problem with digging into the pie. "Well what are you waitin for, punk?! Dig in!" Undyne plopped a giant slice of pie onto your plate. You picked up your fork and cut up a large amount and shoved it in your mouth. It practically melted in your mouth and you moaned which had startled looks from Toriel and Undyne come your way.

"Oh my god Toriel this tastes so good. What pie is this?"

"It's mom's buttspie," Frisk proclaimed proudly and you were just like, ' _¿¿¿???¿¿¿???¿¿¿???'_ Your expression must have been hilarious because everyone at the table started laughing at you.

"They mean butterscotch pie with cinnamon," Toriel assured you. She turned to Frisk. "And no butts were involved in the making, my child."

A large grin split across your face and Sans snapped to attention. He knew that look of yours. It meant a fantastic pun was coming their way.

"Aww Toriel. That's a shame. Butts would have been a great _ASS_ et to the pie." You leaned back into your chair smugly, savouring the stunned expression that graced their faces. Everyone in the room had began to roar with laughter while Papyrus groaned.

"HUMAN **__** , I THOUGHT YOU WERE BETTER THAN THIS!" You held out your palms in surrender.

"You're right Papyrus. The pie is already sc- _RUMP-_ tious as it is ." That brought on another onslaught of rowdy laughter while Papyrus shrieked.

"HUMAN **__** , I AM DONE WITH YOU." He stood up and walked briskly out of the room dramatically with a swoosh of his cape and a huff. You felt a little guilty for provoking him.

"Maybe I should go apologize..." You attempted to get out of your seat but Undyne pulled you back roughly. "Don't worry about it punk! He secretly likes it," Undyne reassured you and you relaxed slightly.

Dinner then proceeded without any other hiccups. You exchanged pleasant conversation with the others and started to learn more about their characters, likes and dislikes. You already knew stuff about Sans _(though not everything because you knew that he had more depth than he lets himself on)_ so you both acknowledged to skip him. You learnt Toriel was incredibly passionate about... Snails. That should have struck you as odd but the talking flower had raised your threshold of normalcy beyond sanity.  
Apparently Alphys and Undyne were dating and loved anime to death. You promised to come over to their place one day and go on a marathon with them. _(More like threatened you into submission *cough*Undyne*cough* but you didn't mind.)_  
When Papyrus had rejoined the party after cooling himself off, _(though he did shoot you wary looks, preparing himself for future pun attacks)_ you found that he and spaghetti were intense lovers which had you confuzzled and charmed the same time. Flowey was just Flowey. That was pretty much all you got out of him.

By the time, you got to know everyone, the plates were just about clean. "Alright, how about you all go to the living room and and play while I clean up." Frisk grabbed Flowey's flower pot while Papyrus and Undyne let out a happy whoop and wrestled to get to the living room. Sans and Frisk followed at a leisurely place while you hung around awkwardly in the dining room.

"Hey Toriel, mind if I help clear up?" You offered shyly and she gave you a grateful smile. "That would be wonderful. Thank you, my child." You both worked symbiotically and efficiently, carrying all the plates and glasses to the kitchen. She washed the dishes while you plucked them from her once she was done and dried them off and placed them into the cupboard. Not much was said, given that you guys were washing plates.

"You're an interesting one, my child." Toriel interrupted the silence suddenly and you looked at her curiously.

"Why do you say that?" You asked while simultaneously wringing out the dish cloth of water.

"You seem to be very accepting of the monster kind. You aren't startled at all by how different we are in every way compared to your own human kind. Almost _too_ accepting in a way." You set down the dish cloth and made eye contact with her.

"I don't have time to worry about the differences between us and you guys. Hell, I never even had the time to worry about the differences within my own species. Race, religion, skin colour, class; they never mattered to me I'd rather take things in my stride, you know? Monsters have started to live on the surface. _Okay, so what? How is that going to personally affect me in any way?_ It wasn't. So I kinda just kept going about life the way I usually do, but just adapting to the new circumstances. If I did dwell on those differences, I KNEW I would fall into insanity, trying to process every single nitty gritty detail and pick them apart one by one.

"So if you think I have some ulterior motive for not trying to have you all burned at a stake or something, you're wrong. That's just the way I am." You stared at Toriel dead in the eyes and she looked incredibly taken aback by your little speech.

"My child, you completely misunderstood me. I was not insinuating that you had ill intentions towards us because of your easy acceptance towards us. It just surprised me because most humans have been tolerant towards us but not as calm and accepting as you are. I am sorry if I gave you the wrong idea, I can see why you thought that that was what I was implying. I'm so sorry if I upset you." Toriel genuinely looked slightly distressed and you gave her a hug.

"I am sorry too. I tend to be really skeptical and jump to the worst conclusions too. It's my fault too." You felt her return your embrace and you felt cozy and loved. She released you all too soon. "I'm sorry for all the misunderstanding. You should go to the living room and join the others." You nodded and promptly left the kitchen. Toriel leaned against the kitchen counter, feeling slightly guilty. She honestly did not mean to insult you, but the your justification had impressed her, gaining you the respect of hers. She found that there was more to you than met the eye. She felt strongly that you had much to offer to the monster community and was looking forward to seeing more of you.

 

* * *

 

You entered the living room to find Undyne, Papyrus and Alphys partaking in an intense round of Mario Kart 8. Well Frisk was supposed to be playing too but they were desperately trying to get Flowey to play which resulted in their character not moving on their side of the screen. Sans was slouched into one of the arm chairs furthest from the TV, looking to be snoozing. You tiptoed onto the scene and perched onto the arm of the chair Sans was sitting on.

"Hey," you whispered and he cracked an eye-socket open.

"hiya."

"So what's going on?" You asked, craning your neck a little to watch them intensely play Mario Kart. Sans opened his mouth to say something but was cut off with a "NGAAAAAHHHHH" and a raging Undyne.

"Babe how did I lose to you?!" She wailed and Alphys laughed. "I-it was all a-about strategy," she explained and Undyne planted a tender kiss in her hair. "That's my girl. Papyrus, she's smart huh?" Papyrus nodded in agreement and Alphys blushed while you smiled at the scene fondly. They were really cute together. Frisk finally noticed your presence. They abandoned their quest to get Flowey into playing and rushed over to you.

"__, you're here! Wanna play?" They grabbed your sleeve and tugged you towards the TV. You looked at Sans and he just shrugged. They plonked a controller into your lap and you were sat in between Undyne and Papyrus.

"HUMAN **__**! I SEE YOU HAVE JOINED US IN THIS GAME OF MARIO'S KART." Papyrus exclaimed happily, nearly shattering your eardrums and you nodded with a smile. You heard the opening cut scene music swelling and you looked over to see Electrodome come into view. _'Fuck yes,'_ you thought to yourself smugly. You beat actual Japanese people online on this course so you knew you were going to own this.

"Get ready to be owned nerds!" Undyne screamed but she blew-out by pressing the 2 button too early. "Shit," she exclaimed and Papyrus laughed at her. The two of them were on the edge of the couch, elbowing you while they attempted to swerve and cut corners. So you leaned back into the couch cushions and got yourself some elbow room. And it was on like Donkey Kong! You flew into first place easily, despite being hit by a blue shell twice. You didn't even break a sweat. You crossed your arms over your chest, accepting victory soundlessly with grace. "W-wow **__** ," Alphys gushed. She came second after you. "You're r-really good." You accepted the compliment with a smile.

"WOWIE HUMAN **__**! YOUR SKILLS AT MARIO'S KART ARE GREATER THAN DR. ALPHYS'S. YOU MIGHT JUST BE ABLE TO CHALLENGE MY BROTHER!"

"You mean Sans?" you asked, turning around to face the older brother. He didn't seem to be paying attention and continued to snooze. All of you stared at him. This was his cue to be all like, _'yeah i'm the master you ain't got nothin on me.'_ But the moment was pretty anti-climatic with him just snoozing. You stared at him, then back to the others awkwardly not knowing what to do.

Frisk, however, saved the situation. They grabbed one of the couch cushions and whacked Sans's face with it. You could hear a muffled "oomf" and you snickered at the sight. "Dunkle Saaannnsss," Frisk whined, still smothering his face with the cushion.

"whaddya want kid?" he asked from under the cushion, barely moving an inch. You rolled your eyes. That was so Sans. "We want you to challenge **__** to Mario Kart." They finally pulled off the cushion from his face and he sat up, rubbing his eyesockets sleepily. "why'd ya want me to do that?" His voice was still husky from his snooze. You found it really cute, for some reason. "Because we want to see you get owned, punk!" Undyne picked up Sans by the hood and plonked him next to you on the couch like a sack of potatoes. You both nodded to each other in familiar greeting.

"Hey."

  
"sup."

Undyne threw you both the controllers and used the game pad to select, of course, the N64's Rainbow Road. You felt slightly confident with this track as it was your second favourite, next to electrodome. And Lakitu raised the flag and you two set off. Sans was able to get a larger boost so he took a bit of a lead in the beginning of the race. But you weren't deterred by it. You had your own tricks up your sleeve. He managed to take his place as first by the second section. You could hear everyone else behind you screaming at you to kick his ass. You fell back to seventh. And that's when it happened. The lords of Mario Kart gave you a blue shell. You didn't hesitate to use it. "ah fuck," Sans muttered as the blue shell exploded on him, having him lose the lead he had on the AI that was in second. The next item box granted you a triple mushroom which you meticulously used to inch your way up to third. The finish line was right there and you were on Sans's tail. You smashed the drift button until you finally got a boost, causing you to come forward in second and him in third. The others cheered behind you while Sans shot you a look of disbelief. "how did that even work?" He asked and you responded with, "magic," while doing a dramatic jazz hands motion. He saluted you and you elbowed him lightly.

The rest of the evening was spent with more Mario Kart with a couple more tracks and battle rounds. Sans sat out for the rest of the game under the pretense of "i have lost my crown. i can't face the shame." You rolled your eyes but ultimately had a great evening with the gang. And you were so sad when you had to leave. The others reciprocated the feeling as well.

Once you shut the door behind you and left the establishment, the monsters had begun to talk about you.

"Nerd's pretty cool, don't you think?" Undyne lamented and Papyrus looked slightly offended.

"BUT NOT AS COOL AS ME. NYEH HEH HEH HEH!" He announced confidently and Undyne pulled him into a bear hug.

"Of course, nerd c'mere." She grabbed his skull and noogied him roughly.

"PLEASE DO'T NOOGIE THE SKELETON," He wailed.

"I t-think she's r-really nice. Sh-She's a lot of f-fun to hang out with," Alphys added and Sans nodded in agreement.

"you dunno the half of it. she's a riot. i've hung out with her more than enough times to confirm this."

"I hope we can see her more often," Frisk added and Sans ruffled their hair.

"me too, kiddo. me too..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this chapter was a bit of a drag to write to be honest because having the reader hang out with the gang like for so many chapters straight feels really repetitive you know? So from the next chapter on, I'm going to delve into the reader's depression and her relationship with Sans. Does that sound okay?
> 
> Anyhoo that's me! See ya'll in the next chapter!
> 
> -vodka_martini


	10. Pretenses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting chapter updates, references and context I make in my fics and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/

All that socializing had started to get to you. You were whisked from person to person; as if you were a toy that a group of children were fighting to play with. There was Sasha, Burgerpants, Asgore, the Temmies and the others. You were starting to feel stressed out by all the expectations people were putting on you. It was rough.

So late at night, after an intense workout session with Undyne earlier that day that accelerated your heart rate at unfathomable levels, you decided to take a walk to the park for fresh air and peace. You absentmindedly kicked stray pebbles here and there as you walked, not really paying much attention to your surroundings. You just had stray song lyrics and random words floating through your brain. You hadn't had time to visit the Artisan's Tavern lately which inhibited your poetry writing. You missed it. You just loved sitting down and penning shit down randomly. So here you were: wandering about town early in the morning wearing pajamas with a huge military coat with a ton of pockets that each contained an array of mismatched items: your tiny notebook, phone, earphones, a pen, pepper spray and a Swiss Army knife. You made stupid decisions at most but still you were cautious.

You stopped short when you spotted the large playground in front of you. At night, it looked really creepy. It was as if the playground had undergone metamorphosis was replaced with something of a ghostly and sinister nature, rather than the source of children's laughter. The colours were drained and the swings creaked to the minimal breeze. You should've been creeped out, you knew you should've but you pulled shit like this all the time so you were practically immune to the heebie jeebies of the night. You decided it wasn't healthy or natural.

You looked up at it and decided to sit atop the wide hexagonal roof which looked akin to the top of a circus tent; except the pointed top was non-existent as it had a large, flat circular top, perfect for someone to lie on top of it. So you scaled the tallest curly slide and climbed, holding onto the ridges and step like layers of the roof. Finally you got onto the top and lay flat on your back. You shut your eyes and let your mind wander to words you've seen or heard all around you, hoping you'd get some inspiration for a new poem.

 **_4.30 AM_ **  
**_I'm awake again_ **

You shook your head. _Can't Sleep_ by _Above & Beyond_. It was definitely true to the moment and you loved their music but it didn't do much good to inspire you.

**_My heart beats to the limit when I'm with you_ **

Nah. _Kiss Me Again_ by _We Are In The Crowd_. A pop love song. Love wasn't on your mind at the moment so you ruled that out.

**_Chrysalis_ **

It was a pretty sounding word. But you remembered from science that it was the discarded case of a moth or a butterfly. It was _whimsical_ but you knew it wasn't going to get you anywhere. (Also you were scared of butterflies, that would've been another reason to why you were adamant to not having a chrysalis be your muse)

**_Whimsical_ **

Another pretty sounding word as well. It spurred the image of the Alice in Wonderland teacup ride in Disneyland when you went with your family a couple of years ago. The happy theme wasn't really enticing you for the moment.

**_I'll wrap my hands around your neck so tight with love_ **

That lyric got you thinking. It was from _Up In The Air_ by _30 Seconds to Mars,_ a band you really adored (solely because Jared Leto was a sexy beast). You remembered hearing two versions of that lyric from the song. You bit your lip and tried to recall the words to the other version you've heard.

**_I'll wrap my hands around your heart so tight with love_ **

You wondered what the difference between heart and neck was, in terms of diction. You thought carefully.

**_I'll wrap my hands around your neck so tight with love_ **

That lyric more or less implied murder or asphyxiation.

**_I'll wrap my hands around your heart so tight with love_ **

This lyric kind of gives off the message that they want to protect your heart and love you.

'The power of diction', you thought to yourself, 'is ridiculously underrated.' You pulled out your notebook and penned the latter lyric down. You shut your eyes again and you found your brain going back to the word _whimsical_. You wondered why your brain was so insistent on going back to the word but you decided to just roll with it. Another image that came into your head based on that word was a pretty merry-go-round at night with string lights and a couple smiling at each other. You pondered over that image further. But something else came into your mind when those thoughts deepened. You pictured a circus. Not those ones where the animals were treated cruelly and the atmosphere was dank and dirty. It was like... The book that you had read a while ago: _The Night Circus_ by _Erin Morgenstern._

You pursed your lips, with your eyes still closed, trying to remember the plot of it and why it struck your attention. You remembered it was about a circus that appeared randomly in the night and disappeared in the day. The circus was no ordinary circus though, it was a battlefield between two young magicians or something of the sort. The magicians fell in love and all that stuff. But the book was absolutely magical and you really really loved it.

You began to put together the pieces that struck you as inspiring.

 **_Whimsical_ **  
**_Up in the air_ **  
**_The Night Circus_ **

'Why the night circus?' You asked yourself aloud and pondered for a moment. You had a lightbulb moment and realized why that story had come to mind. When you were thinking about how different the playground looked at night as compared to the day, it triggered that thought. You whipped out your notebook and rolled onto your stomach, inspiration striking you. You uncapped your pen and began to frantically write.

 

* * *

 

Sans shoved his hands in the pockets of his gigantic hoodie and desperately tried to shake the residue of the nightmare he just had. He woke up thrashing and gasping, his eyes flickering yellow and blue and his fists bunched into the sheets. He couldn't stay in his room, it felt like the four walls were closing in on him. So he teleported out of the house and to the park where he set up his hot dog stand. He really liked the park. It was large and lush with large trees and stone benches and stuff. It was peaceful and serene in the day and at night... the opposite actually. He felt a chill run down his spine. He just wandered around aimlessly, trying to calm his thumping soul. The blood red eyes of Chara from his nightmare burned at the back of his mind. He desperately tried to shake the image  away.

He heard the sound of fingernails drumming on plastic and looked up. He realized that he had arrived at the playground. He found you laying on your stomach on top of the roof, staring intently at your notebook and holding your pen between your teeth.

"odd spot to be doin your homework, ain't it kid?" He called out and your head snapped up. You broke into a smile when you spotted him.

"Don't knock it till you try it!" You said with a grin and sat up. You patted the spot beside you and Sans shrugged. You watched with amusement as he attempted to scale up the curly slide. He arrived at the top and you gave him a hand. You pulled him up and sat him beside you. You swept out your hand. "Take in the view, my friend."

You both sat in silence, staring out at the vast park in front of you. Sans broke the silence.

"seems kinda creepy at night, don't it?" He asked, turning to you and you nodded in agreement.

"It really is, but there's something poetic about it. The mystery and danger is sort of exciting in a way.

"But," you added. "That doesn't mean I disregard caution." You pulled out your pepper spray and Swiss Army knife and showed them to Sans. "I come prepared." He nodded approvingly.

"good call." Silence fell over you two once again. Sans looked over to you and found your open notebook in your lap. He looked at it with interest.

"so whatcha workin on?" He asked curiously. You shrugged.

"I haven't wrote in a while, so I took a stab at it. I managed to scrawl out some prose randomly."

"can you show me?" He asked and you nodded.

"Sure. I called it ' _The circus of Night and Day'_.

_"I had my heart around hands wrapped so tight with love; yet they were ripped apart from me by my other reality. Two circuses: day and night. By day I am the freak. By night, I slink away in the shadows. A cry sounded and sirens rung in my head. Your voice triggered daylight and it burned into my skin and fear into my heart. The circus of the day is my hell. The circus of the night is my sanctuary. Let the sun's harsh light pierce me not. And let the moon's kind luster save me so."_

Sans stared at you in awe. It was incredible. "wow, kid. what inspired it?"

"I don't know man. Just anything and everything. It's whatever." You shrugged and turned away slightly. Sans knew it wasn't 'whatever'. Even though you claimed your inspiration was random, he had a feeling those words ran deeper than you let on. He wondered what they implied and hoped he would find out someday. For now, he didn't want to push you.

"well, if ya say so. i still think it's incredible." You smiled at him. "Thanks, Sans. That's really nice of you." You pushed yourself back until you lay flat on the roof on your back. "Join me," you urged him. He lay next to you and you both stared up at the stars, in awe.

"y'know, before we got to the surface, many of the monsters wondered what the stars were like. most of them wanted nothing more  than to see the stars." You turned to him.

"Well, did they disappoint?" You asked and Sans looked at you, his eye-lights twinkling.

"not even close, kid. back underground, we had sparkly crystals on the ceiling. that was the closest thing we had to stars. so when we finally got to see them, man it was like we had won the lottery."

"The simple things can really make you feel. Like the first poem I've ever read made me cry. It was a love poem by a poet called _Tyler Knott Gregson_. I have it written down in my notebook here..." You found the page and showed him the poem.

 **_What if all we have ever wanted_ **  
**_isn't hiding in some_ **  
**_secret and far away dream_ **  
**_but inside of us now_ **  
**_as we breathe one another_ **  
**_and find home in the way_ **  
**_our arms always seem to fit_ **  
**_perfectly around the spaces_ **  
**_between us?_ **  
**_What if we are the answer_ **  
**_and love was the question?_ **  
**_What if all this time_ **  
**_it was us you were supposed_ **  
**_to find?_ **  
**_I am filled with wonderings_ **  
**_questions and doubt_ **  
**_but of one thing I am certain:_ **  
**_it will always be you_ **  
**_that gives flight to the_ **  
**_butterflies inside me,_ **  
**_calm to the sea I have become_ **  
**_and hope to the darkness_ **  
**_all around us._ **  
**_It is you and it has always_ **  
**_been you..._ **  
**_you._ **  
**_You that soothes and excites_ **  
**_and spreads joy like rainfall_ **  
**_on the already damp earth;_ **  
**_You that pulled me from the longest_ **  
**_sleep and kissed my tired eyelids_ **  
**_awake._ **  
**_If life is a question mark,_ **  
**_then you my love,_ **  
**_are the proud and bold period_ **  
**_that is typed with certainty._ **

Sans's read the poem, awestruck. It truly was beautiful. "wow...that's pretty deep stuff. it hit me hard." You nodded in agreement.

"Another poet, Edgar Allen Poe had once said this, ' _If a poem hasn't ripped apart your soul; you haven't experienced poetry'_. Like he's right isn't he?" Sans stared at you intently and you immediately felt self-conscious.

"Sorry, I'm rambling. I bet you can't relate to any of this huh?" Sans shrugged.

"nah. i like it when people talk about stuff they're passionate about. it removes all the pretenses that they put up."

"Oh yeah? What pretenses do I put up?" You challenged and he turned to you, his eye-lights dimmed to the point of almost darkness.

"that poetry means nothing to you when it clearly means the world to you. that it's just something you do when you're bored. it's the part of you that's the key to most of what made you who you are and that's why you fail to mention it to most." You stared at Sans, impressed.

"Alright you got me. You got me good. But don't tell me you're not guilty of the same thing." He chuckled.

"guilty of what, kid?" He asked you.

"Pretenses."

"what have i got to pretend about?" You turned onto your side and stared at him, dead in the eye sockets.

"That you're lazy. That you don't care about anything. That's not the case. You do care. You care more than you let people on. You care about Papyrus. You love him to bits and would do anything to keep him safe and happy. You care about quantum physics. You love it. You love science. You want to share all that you know and love to others who you hope will love and appreciate quantum mechanics the way you do. That's why you became a professor. You're freaking intelligent and perceptive but you don't let anyone see that side of you. You don't want to showcase your passions because you know it'll completely destroy the mask you've created for yourself that is foolproof." His jaw dropped open at your little spiel.

"you hit the nail on the head, buddy..." He muttered and turned away from you. You felt guilty for psychoanalyzing him.

"Hey, look it's okay. I know how draining it is to put up that apathetic pretense. Like nothing matters when really it's all you think about and are dying to say but you have to hold back your tongue.

"In your case, metaphorically," you added and you got a snicker from him. Progress. "Maybe we can make a deal. How about when we need it, we can just come to each other and rant about something that is like dear to us where we don't have to pretend. How does that sound?" You offered. He turned back to you.

"that sounds cool. i would like that," he replied honestly and you felt a huge smile come across your face.

"Alright. Sounds like a plan. Let me go first. Can I just rant about how stupid Justin Bieber's What Do You Mean music video is?!?!"

You basically went into a rampage about how stupid it is to win the affections of someone by pretending to kidnap them and why they didn't attempt to struggle at all when they were kidnapped. "Like what the fuck OMG! Why didn't that bitch punch the living day lights out of him for scaring the shit out of her. Getting kidnapped isn't a joke Jesus fucking Christ!" Sans watched you, amused. You let out your anger towards the music video like a nuclear reaction exploding. It was bubbling but when it let loose... Damn.

He felt the new arrangement he's made with you will prove to be both entertaining and enlightening.  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well writing this without wifi is interesting ahahaha. I have to manually type in the song lyrics hahaha. But anyway since I have wifi in the hotel, imma quickly give you the links to the songs and the poem I have mentioned.
> 
> Can't Sleep by Above & Beyond: https://youtu.be/GcrSRs8zWt4
> 
> Kiss me again by We Are In The Crowd: https://youtu.be/BM3Rv2RO1Do
> 
> Up in the air by 30 Seconds to Mars: https://youtu.be/y9uSyICrtow
> 
> The What Do You Mean by Justin Bieber music video (I beg of you please don't watch it it's so stupid it killed half my brain cells. I blame it for my shit writing lol): https://g.co/kgs/SaAwRM
> 
> And finally the link to that poem: http://tylerknott.com/post/20070378367/typewriter-series-1-by-tyler-knott-gregson-so
> 
> That's me!!! See you!  
> -Vodka_Martini


	11. Pillow talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting chapter updates, references and context I make in my fics and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/

**♪** **I've been roaming around**  
**Always looking down at all I see**  
**Painted faces, fill the places I can't reach**

 **You know that I could use somebody**  
**You know that I could use somebody**

 **Someone like you** **♪**

 

* * *

 

You slammed your laptop down with a groan. The extensive research you were doing for your course was getting you nowhere. You were exhausted. You grabbed your phone and haphazardly flailed your arms around, turning off your light switches as a result. You collapsed in bed and threw your phone on your bedside table and shut your eyes. But they kept fluttering open, as if you didn't actually want to sleep even though you felt exhausted. This happened to you every night. A wave of apprehension washed over you whenever you tried to sleep at night. It sucked because you liked sleeping a lot. Your phone screen lit up and you grunted in frustration. You grabbed it and checked to see what was up with it.

Unknown number: _knock knock._

You rolled your eyes. You decided to roll with it.

xxxxxx: _Who's there?_  
Unknown number: _wooden shoe._  
xxxxxx: _Woodenshoe who?_  
Unknown number: _wooden shoe like to guess?_

You smirked a little. There was only one person in the world who would start a conversation with a knock knock joke... A certain _skeleton_ , in fact.

xxxxxx: _Hey there Sans!_  
Saaaaaaans: _damn how'd ya guess?_  
xxxxxx: _Wasn't quantum physics, buddy._  
Saaaaaaans: _i would know if it was._

You smiled. Sans never failed to make you smile.

xxxxxx: _So, I see you've went out of your way to acquire my number. You must really want my company, huh?_

Unbeknownst to you, Sans blushed. You hit the nail on the head, once again. He really did want your company. He felt a wave of sudden loneliness wash over him and he wanted to talk someone. Anyone. About anything. So he chose you, pikachu! And you were right, he did go through a ton of effort to get your number. He teleported into Papyrus's room while he was asleep (he was a very heavy sleeper so he wasn't much of an inconvenience) and texted your number to his phone and deleted the message from Papyrus's phone and it was like it never happened. But you didn't need to know that, did you?

Saaaaaaans: _nah i just asked for your number and got it. no sweat over it._  
xxxxxx: _ohhhhkkkaaaayyyy sure.. So anyhoo what are you up to?_  
Saaaaaaans: _nothin. just bored. figured you'd help me out with that._

You rolled your eyes. You were basically his entertainment bootycall. But you were guilty of that crime too so you weren't too offended by it.

xxxxxx: _Okay fine. I'll play. Did I tell you about the 'chaos' incident?_  
Saaaaaaans: _no you didn't. tell me._  
xxxxxx: _Alright. Sit down. Relax. This is gonna be a long tale..._  
xxxxxx: _Okie so when I was a kid, I went to a public neighborhood school. Our school had a gifted program where the 'smart' kids were sent to for better treatment and opportunities. So we all had to take a test that basically was questions about general knowledge. And the top ten students of each class would be sent to the gifted program. So I was number 11 in my class and I couldn't get into the gifted program. But number 10 had to leave the school suddenly so I was allowed to go into the program._  
xxxxxx: _So I went to the gifted class and on the first day we were supposed to read an English passage in turns to test our vocal and reading skills. So when it came to me, I read pretty well but then I saw the word chaos. And I didn't know how to pronounce it so I took a stab at it and said "chows."_  
xxxxxx: _Everyone, even the teacher, laughed at me and for the next four years I was known as 'chows' at school :(_

Sans burst out laughing. He could picture the kids going, 'yo chows! Did you do your homework?' It was hilarious. He shook his head and typed out a response.

Saaaaaaans: _kid, it's official. imma set you as 'chows' as your contact name._  
Chows: _Don't OMG please!!!_  
Saaaaaaans: _too bad._  
Chows: _Grrr I shouldn't have told you that story -.-_  
Chows: _Anyhoo I gotta go. Talk to you soon!_  
Saaaaaaans: _ok. see ya Chows._  
Chows: [Attachment: 1 image]

It was a photo of your middle finger and Sans started laughing once again. He set his phone to charge and went to bed.

 

* * *

 

**_"Please, sweetie. I'm begging you, please eat. Why are you doing this to yourself? Please."_ **

**_"Only if it fucking shuts you up."_ **

**_You heard a gunshot and a thump._ **

**_"Good riddance to bad rubbish..."_ **

You sat up in bed, gasping and sweating. Your throat felt raw and painful. You touched your cheeks. They were wet. You realized you had been crying in your sleep. You sat up and wiped the tears from your eyes. You looked back at your bed and realized you didn't want to go back to sleep again. All that filled your head were the voices and sounds from your dream. Stopstopstopstopstopstop.

You scrambled out of bed and ran to your living room, turning on your light switch. You were in your living room. You weren't in darkness. You weren't trapped in that memory. You were alive. You needed someone. You needed the comfort of someone. You sat on your couch and felt something dig into your butt cheeks. It was your phone. You checked the time and realized it was 4 in the morning. You knew you couldn't text Sasha because she was asleep. You decided who you wanted to distract you and hoped to god they were awake.

Chows: _What is a skeleton's favourite_  
_weapon?_

You set your phone down and twiddled your thumbs. He probably wouldn't answer anyway. Who in the right mind would be awake at 4 in the-

Saaaaaaans: _i dunno, what?_

Your mouth dropped open in shock. You really didn't expect him to respond. You hastily typed your response.

Chows: _A bone and marrow._  
Saaaaaaans: _heh. good one._  
Saaaaaaans: _so what has you up at this hour?_

You paused. That was a damn good question. You were at a loss how to answer him.

Chows: _I could ask you the same thing._  
Saaaaaaans: _i asked first though._  
Chows: _It was just one of those nights..._  
Saaaaaaans: _yeah same here._  
Saaaaaaans: _ya get those nights often?_

Sans was wondering if he was pushing it too far and stepping over boundaries or if he was giving away that he knew you weren't okay and all there.

_Chows is typing..._

He waited anxiously for your reply.

Chows: _...Yes_  
Chows: _You?_  
Saaaaaaans: _yeah_

You both just sat there, wondering where to proceed from there. You both knew that something was up with one another, something not quite right. But to what extent, you didn't know.

Saaaaaaans: _insomnia?_  
Chows: _No not really._  
Saaaaaaans: _disturbed sleep?_  
Chows: _I guess you could say that..._

There was a pause. You started to get nervous.

_Saaaaaaans is typing..._

Saaaaaaans: _nightmares?_  
Chows: _Yes._  
Saaaaaaans: _yeah same._

There was another awkward pause between you two once again. You both weren't alright. You knew you guys weren't all right. But you two didn't know how to ask how you two became the way you were. You guys at this point were pretty solid friends. You basically spent all your time texting him nonsense. Just bad jokes, anecdotes and shit that happened during either of your days. But not this sort of deep personal stuff. You decided it was way too awkward at this point so you decided to end the conversation at that.

Chows: _Okay..._  
Chows: _Hey, knock knock._  
Saaaaaaans: _who's there?_  
Chows: _Hugo_  
Saaaaaaans: _hugo who?_  
Chows: _Hugo to sleep._  
Chows: _I'm gonna do a double shot of NyQuil and try to as well._  
Saaaaaaans: _heh never heard that one before. ya gonna be alright though?_  
Chows: _Yeah I'll be fine :)_

Sans was tempted to object. You were definitely not alright and he felt worried. But he had a feeling you wouldn't have it.

Saaaaaaans: _ok. talk to you later._  
Chows: _Yup yup! Byeeee._  
Saaaaaaans: _see ya._

You set your phone aside and went to your fridge. You found your shot glass and filled it to the brim with NyQuil and downed it smoothly. You took another shot and stumbled to your bedroom. The dark of your room made you slightly uneasy but at the same time, you didn't like sleeping with the light on. So you watched a couple of GameGrumps episodes of their Super Mario Maker series and chuckled your way through them until your eyelids had begun to feel heavy. You set your phone to charge and fell asleep to the sound of Arin Hansen screaming bloody murder at Ross O'Donovan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO I AM FINALLY BACK FROM MY UNI TRIP!! HAD A GREAT TIME AND MANAGED TO WRITE A TON! ( I know I know two chapters ain't a ton but hey I'm writing two fics simultaneously so that means I wrote four chapters in a week!)
> 
> Anyhoo so I'm just gonna let you know that I'm doing a thing where like for certain chapters I'll be writing song lyrics at the top or in the story itself with the ♪ where I think they represent the crux of the chapter very well. Not every single one but a couple.  
> Also, y'all wondering what that nightmare was about? You'll find out in due time, my pretties. Patience! Tell me if you guys feel that the chapters are arranged in such a sporadic manner and want me to maintain some consistency. It's kind of representing the reader's sporadic nature in a way, you know? so that's kinda why shit is all over the place with this fic. (nope it ain't me just winging it and doing whatever the fuck I want what you talking bout? You cray xD) Anyhoo where was I? Right links.
> 
> The song I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter is called Use Somebody by Kings of Leon: https://youtu.be/gnhXHvRoUd0
> 
> And here's the link to the GameGrumps Super Mario Maker series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRQGRBgN_EnrxtvIO8iQIuWItwFfkJ3Vk
> 
> There y'all go! See you in the next chapter!  
> -Vodka_martini


	12. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting chapter updates, references and context I make in my fics and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/

_"LIFE IS A HIGHWAY_  
_I WANNA RIDE IT ALL NIGHT LONG_  
_IF YOU'RE GOING MY WAY_  
_I WANNA DRIVE IT ALL NIGHT LONG!!!"_

You were at Papyrus's house where he called and invited you to his place to catch a movie with him and Frisk. They picked the Pixar movie _Cars_ , which was a movie you greatly enjoyed. The three of you were a little well into the movie when you decided to head to the kitchen to make some popcorn and grab a couple of sodas. While you were waiting for the timer on the microwave to end, you heard the segment of the movie where the song Life is a highway played during a montage of Lightning McQueen traveling to California for the tiebreaker race.

Initially, you were simply enjoying the tune and humming to it. But it progressed to you singing along and then to full out rocking to it in the kitchen. You were staring at your reflection in the glass of the microwave and singing passionately.

 _"Through all these cities and all these towns_  
_It's in my blood and it's all around_  
_I love you now like I loved you then_  
_This is the road and these are the hands_  
_From Mozambique to those Memphis nights_  
_The Khyber Pass to Vancouver's lights_  
_Knock me down get back up again_  
_You're in my blood_  
_I'm not a lonely man"_

By this point, you had grabbed a spoon and was pretending to use it as microphone and sang into it. In the living room, both Papyrus and Frisk were wondering what the hell you were up to in the kitchen, but they didn't mind so much as they enjoyed hearing you sing along to the song. But Frisk decided to check on you and walked into the kitchen to find you jumping on your feet and doing all kinds on wacky rock star poses.

 _"There's no load I can't hold_  
_Road so rough this I know_  
_I'll be there when the light comes in_  
_Just tell 'em we're survivors!"_

During this verse, you were simply whipping your hair back and forth and wearing overly exaggerated expressions of sorrow and passion. Frisk watched you from the doorway, delighted. Your energy was so infectious they couldn't help but want to join in. So they waddled into the kitchen without your knowledge and grabbed a long wooden spoon from one of the drawers. They tugged at the hem of your shirt and you looked down to them pretending to use the spoon as an electric guitar and you grinned.

 _"Life is a highway_  
_I wanna ride it all night long_  
_If you're going my way_  
_I wanna drive it all night long_  
_Gimme gimme gimme gimme yeah!!!"_

During the two chorus bits, you and Frisk were basically twirling and bouncing about the place, with you singing and them moving and dancing to the beat. And for the upcoming bridge, you knew it had more of a gentle, emotional tone to it. So you got down on your knees and looked Frisk deep in the eyes.

_"There was a distance between you and I..."_

You grabbed their hand and wore an expression of deep pain.

 _"A misunderstanding once_  
_But now we look it in the eye"_

The emotional tone of the bridge ebbed away and you stood up and screamed the line: _Ooooo...Yeah!_

There was a guitar solo at this point which Frisk took it upon upon themselves to rock the fuck out and Papyrus was beginning to wonder what was taking the two humans so long. So he got up from the couch and decided to investigate. He peeked into the kitchen and was hit with surprise to see the two humans dancing like madmen with cutlery in their hands.

"HUMANS!" He bellowed. "WHAT IS THIS STRANGE BOONDOGGLING YOU ARE ENGAGED IN?!?!" Immediately, you and Frisk turned to each other with a mysterious glint in your eyes. You both simultaneously dropped your cutlery unceremoniously on the ground and lunged for the skeleton.

"NYEEEEEEEHHHHHHH!" He shrieked in surprise as you and Frisk pulled him into a ring-around-the-roses link and started to spin him around as you continued to sing.

" _There's no load I can't hold_  
_Road so rough this I know_  
_I'll be there when the light comes in_  
_Just tell 'em we're survivors!"_

Finally, the song ended and you took a moment to catch your breath. "Sorry I ruined the movie for you guys. I kinda got a little carried away." you told them sheepishly.

"It's okay **__**! We had fun joining you, right Papyrus?" Frisk kindly reassured you.

"SMALLER HUMAN IS RIGHT, TALLER HUMAN! WE CAN ALWAYS REWIND TO THE SCENE WE LEFT OFF!" You felt grateful for their understanding. For a moment you felt incredibly guilty for ruining the Cars experience for them but now, all traces of the thought vanished.

"Alright then, at least the popcorn is ready..."

 

* * *

 

Cantering down the street wearing a unicorn onesie, holding an elephant plushie and carrying a hot pink duffle bag with rhinestones on it definitely had you get strange looks from people. The monsters you passed by however called out your name and waved at you politely.

You were on your way to Papyrus's house where he invited you for a Mettaton movie marathon and a sleepover with Undyne, Alphys and Sans. You accepted, obviously because you knew you'd have a ton of fun. ' _A MettaTON of fun lmao,'_ you thought to yourself, laughing at your own joke. You rewarded yourself with a mental high five. You bounced to the front door and before you had a chance to lift your hand up and knock, the door swung open and you were dragged into the house by a scaly hand that was clamped onto your wrist. Undyne gave you a toothy grin.

"Hey there punk! Ready for the marathon?" She wore a pair of yellow pajamas.

"You bet! Let's go!" You both dashed into the living room and upon your entrance, Papyrus and Alphys both stood up and gave you a hearty greeting.

"H-hey **__**! Glad you could m-make it." Alphys was wearing a pair of blue pajamas. You looked back to Undyne's yellow pajamas and realized they were wearing colours of each other's skin colour. It was absolutely adorable.

"HUMAN **__**! I AM GLAD YOU ARE JOINING US FOR METTATON'S MOVIE MARATHON NYEH HEH HEH HEH!" Paapyrus was wearing long striped pajama bottoms with a shirt that spelled out 'cool dude' in tiny bones.

"Of course! Wouldn't miss it for the world!" You looked around and frowned. "Hey where's Sans?"

"THE LAZYBONES HASN'T LEFT HIS ROOM IN OVER THREE HOURS!" Papyrus shot the direction of Sans's room a disapproving look and you chuckled.

"Alright, I'll go get him. You guys can start without me." You dropped your duffle bag and elephant toy and walked up the stairs towards Sans's room. You've been to Sans and Papyrus's house quite a few times now so you were quite familiar with the place. Sans's room, however, had always been quite the mystery to you. It had multicolored flames under the door which didn't hurt your ankles in any way when you stepped on it and was always locked. But still, you couldn't help but wonder what the fuck was going on in there. You assumed there was some sort of quantum mechanic or magical shit going on in there. You knocked sharply on the door.

"Sans," you called out. "Come on out, the marathon is starting." A few seconds passed without any reply. You opened your mouth to say something but the door opened a little and the skeleton popped his head out.

"do i have to?" He drawled lazily. "i'm not a fan of that overdramatic walking calculator." You burst out laughing.

"Come on Sans, he's not all bad. The others are really looking forward to it." The joke you made to yourself resurfaced in your head and you gave Sans a splitting grin. He narrowed his eye sockets at you.

"Besides," you said slyly. "It might just be a Metta _TON_ of fun." There was a pause and Sans's jaw dropped open. He started to laugh, hard.

"aw man. you got me good, Chows. alright let's go watch that calculator do his thing."

You both joined the others. Alphys and Undyne sat on the ground, wrapped in a sleeping bag while Papyrus sat on the far end of the couch and you and Sans joined him. The opening sequence consisted of Mettaton's deep metallic voice narrating the backstory of a tragic tale of a monster and human engaged in forbidden love. Mettaton played both the human and monster. Sans was right, he was pretty overdramatic and over the top. But you were sort of entertained, regardless. You looked over to the others. Papyrus seemed absolutely entranced, and acted as the perfect spectator: gasping when a plot twist occurred, clapping when something funny happened on screen. Undyne and Alphys were entertained for the most part, but they mostly cuddled and gave each other lovey dovey looks. You looked over to your right and found Sans to be snoozing, clearly uninterested.

Three movies in, you noticed everyone beginning to doze off. Alphys was asleep, resting her head on Undyne's shoulder while Undyne rested on top of Alphys's head. Papyrus was asleep, slouched back into the couch cushions. You got up and turned off the television. The entire living room ended up bathed in darkness so you turned on a dim lamp. You looked over to Sans and decided to wake him up. You shook his shoulder lightly.

"Hey," you whispered and his eye sockets opened up.

"sup."

"Everyone's asleep. You can go sleep in your room if you want to. The couch doesn't look very comfy." He nodded.

"thanks Chows. nights."

"Goodnight."

He headed up the stairs and shut his bedroom door behind him. You busied yourself by throwing a blanket over Papyrus's lap and settling yourself on your side of the couch. You pulled out a fluffy blanket from your duffle and rested your head on the arm of the couch and shut your eyes. You fell asleep to the breathing of your sleeping friends.

 

* * *

 

The sound of glass shattering jolted you from your sleep. You looked over to your friends and found them to be fast asleep still. You rubbed your eyes tiredly and looked around the room, confused. You wondered if it was simply your imagination and shut your eyes, hoping to fall asleep once more. But some sort of thumping sound had your eyes fly open. You got up and looked over at the second storey. You noticed the flames under Sans's door sparking and dancing wildly, out of control. You ran up the stairs towards Sans's room, praying that his door would be unlocked. You tried the handle and it swung open easily.

You stepped into the room and found Sans thrashing on his bed. You gasped and immediately rushed to his side. You grabbed his shoulder and shook him.

"Sans! Wake up." You said, your voice gentle but firm. His eye sockets remained tightly shut and you could hear him grinding his teeth. He was turning from side to side, one of his skeletal hands digging into his skull while the other was clawing at his naked mattress and beads of blue sweat were running down the side of his skull You could hear choked whimpers slipping from behind his teeth. He was not doing well. You grabbed his free hand and clutched it tightly while shaking his shoulder with a lot more force than before.

"Sans. Wake. UP!!!" That did it. His eye sockets shot open, one of them emitting a yellow and blue light while the other was pitch black, and he sat up suddenly, gasping. You could see his ribs rise and fall rapidly through his flimsy white shirt. You rubbed your thumb over his knuckles, trying to calm him down. Slowly, but surely, he began to calm down. The pinpricks of white light returned to his eyes and his breathing steadied but was still ragged. He looked up at you and finally acknowledged your presence.

"thank you," he muttered and you nodded, not wanting to say anything that'll rattle him. He was wound up enough. "sorry you had to see that."

"It's okay. I'm glad I could help." An awkward silence fell and he refused to look at you. You sighed and squeezed his hand a little. He finally looked up at you. "Look, right now it's not healthy to be trapped in your room. Come on, let's head outside and get some fresh air, alright?" He nodded, looking defeated.

"ok."

You waited patiently for him to put on his hoodie and slippers. Then you two set off, trying to move through the house as quietly as possible, not to wake the others up. Thankfully, they slept like logs. As soon as Sans stepped into the open air, you heard a sigh of relief. You tugged at his arm. "Come on, let's just walk without anywhere in mind. Don't think. Just feel. Process the atmosphere around you." He nodded and held out one of his hands. As he walked, he observed the way his bones shone under the influence of the moonlight. He looked at his feet and paid attention to the way the fluff on his slippers moved a little with the wind. The focus he placed on the little things he wouldn't have noticed otherwise helped greatly. It kept his thoughts occupied, leaving barely any room for the remnants of the nightmare to haunt him. He inhaled and exhaled, feeling the thumping of his soul cease a little. He turned to you and noticed you staring straight ahead, hands stuffed into your unicorn onesie.

"thanks bud. you really helped me out back there." He gave you a grateful and bashful look. You shrugged.

"It's no problem. Don't worry about it." You both fell silent. You sensed he had no desire to talk about what his nightmare entailed and you were alright with it. All you wanted to do right now was to help him get his wits about together. So you both stared ahead and kept walking, not processing your surroundings. Just walking. Your physical presence was such a ridiculous comfort to Sans. He didn't know how it helped but it just did.

"how'd you know how to handle someone having a nightmare?" Sans couldn't help but ask the elephant in the room. You knew exactly what to do, how to wake him up and how taking him for a walk would help him calm down. You sighed.

"Sasha and I used to rent an apartment together. She used to help me out when I had nightmares." You pursed your lips and he figured you didn't want to say more on it.

"were they bad?" Sans was tentative when asking that question. No one could put a measure on what constitutes as a bad or a not-so-bad nightmare. They were still fucking terrifying, regardless.

"I guess...? Does giving someone a black eye while you were having a nightmare count as bad?"

"yep. i'd say that's pretty bad." You both gave out an uneasy chuckle. Sans was about to say something else but the clatter of a can on the gravel and loud music had caught both of your attentions. You noticed you had reached the end of the housing district. The very last house at the end of the district was blaring ridiculously loud music and had a couple of college guys sitting on the yard with bottles and cans of alcohol surrounding them. You weren't sure you were comfortable in their presence. You were about to ask Sans if you could walk back to their place but was stopped short when a guy stepped in front of you.

"Well well well. Look what we've got here fellas. A unicorn and a skeleton. Yo, how much shroom did y'all give me?" The other guys on the yard yelled incoherent things at him while he circled the two of you. You shot Sans an uneasy glance. "Hey, come on we've gone far enough. Let's go back."

Two more guys flanked either side of yourself and Sans, effectively trapping you. "Aww that's not a unicorn that's a hot chick under that. How about you take off the unicorn get up and we can have a good time." One of them tried to pull off the hood of your onesie but you slapped their hand away. "How about you fuck off?" You growled and you saw their face contort with anger. Before they could say or do anything, you felt an arm wrap tightly around your waist and then you felt like you were falling.

And all you saw was black. You tried to scream but no sound came out. Before you knew it, your feet hit solid ground and you bent over and retched, feeling nauseous. You felt a hand rubbing your back in soothing circles.

"you okay, bud? takes time to get used to it." You blinked for a bit and finally stood up, realizing that you were at the front porch of Sans and Papyrus's house. "Wait what the fuck just happened?" You turned to Sans who was scratching the back of his skull sheepishly. "Did you teleport? You can teleport? Dude that's so freaking cool!" You clapped your hands in delight.

"it's more like taking a shortcut but yeah i can do that." Sans shrugged like it was no big deal but you viewed his ability to teleport as rad. "You got us out of a bad situation with your shortcut. Thanks dude." You nudged him playfully and he cracked a smile. Your smile faded.

"You gonna be okay?" You asked him, sounding concerned.

"yeah. i'll be fine. thanks again." You both stepped back into the house and bid each other goodnight. Sans headed up to his room while you took your place on the couch again. Alphys, Undyne and Papyrus didn't seem to have stirred while you and Sans were off on your little adventure. You snuggled up into the couch, exhausted from that night's excitement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I hate my writing. I'm like really VM? The whole party guys thing is so lame and the whole life is a highway segment is so unnecessary your music taste and you suck what the hell is this story. Le sigh. Sorry guys about this chapter I didn't know where I was going with this. Does this fic even have any or decent character development? Like what the hell am I doing??? Fml. Why do I keep writing I clearly suck ass ugh. Please tell me if you didn't like anything that happened with this fic and have any scenarios that can make it better because clearly I'm a crap writer lol. (Also no I am not saying this for validation or attention I genuinely feel like there's no point to the way this fic is going even though like there's a lot of plot that I have in store)
> 
> Anyhoo here's a link to the song Life is a highway by Rascal Flatts: https://youtu.be/6UdZIh8_xGc
> 
> See you soon.
> 
> -Vodka_martini


	13. Lions with Wings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, firstly I would like to thank all of you to the incredibly sweet and encouraging comments to my rant and how I felt like I was a shit writer and such. I guess that night I had an extreme self-esteem fart and I sort of like lost control of my emotions I guess to which I apologize, because that sort of behavior was extremely unprofessional and I assure you it will not happen again even though I feel like I come off as kinda transparent when it comes to my notes and stuff and in my replies to the comments I recieve from you guys. But anyhoo again, thank you guys so much because seriously it really helped me out and it kept me going. You guys are the sweetest and I'm so thankful for your support. Mwa. Bless your souls. Anyway enough emotional rambling VM let's get to the story!
> 
> Also, I have created a new blog on tumblr that is specifically created for posting references I make in my fics and Undertale randomness:http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/
> 
> So feel free to follow me if you are interested and would like to informed when post a new chapter or when I give direct links or post videos of the songs or images or pop culture I reference without having you to copy and paste the link and stuffs!

"Thank you so much and come again, next time!" You bowed your head slightly and shot the lovely old man at the shop a sweet smile. You gave him a polite wave as you left the place. You were at the other side of town to purchase a book that you found your local bookstore not to carry. So you found an out of the way second hand store and made your commute there and found yourself quite happy that your quest was completed.

The shop was quite a ways from where you lived and you walked quite the distance from the nearest bus station to get there. But the day was bright and sunny so surprisingly found the walk very pleasant. You were about halfway through your route to the bus station when you heard the distant sound of music playing. Curious, you decided to head towards it and rounded the corner of the brick building to your left. You were very surprised to see three guys leaning against the side of it, playing a familiar tune. Each respectively seemed to play a different instrument: a keytar, an electric bass guitar and a cajón. 'A pretty odd mix,' you mused to yourself, unconciously humming the song.

"Are you guys playing the song, _Medicine_ by _Shannon Wardrop_?" You asked, approaching them.

"Actually yes," one of the guys,the one playing cajón, answered, the sounding surprised. He had extremely long hair and dark eyes. "I didn't think anyone knew the existence of Shannon Wardrop."

You chuckled, "well, I am aware of their existence and I think that they are great." The three guys nodded politely at you and continued to play, clearly wanting not to be disturbed. But their playing was pretty damn fantastic and you couldn't help but sing along.

 _"Can't stop hearing these voices_  
_That swim around in my head_  
_The conversations with myself that I wish I had had_  
_After all none of this_  
_could seem so bad"_

You were aware of the music being cut off and you turned to the guys with surprise. They were staring at you in shock."Why'd you stop?" You asked them, sounding slightly confused. The guys looked at each other and smiled. The dude playing the cajón hit the sides of it with vigor and the others followed his lead.

 _"And I have walked for miles_  
_and I have seen such things_  
_as little boys in dresses_  
_and lions with wings_  
_But it don't seem to matter_  
_'cause my mind is black and blue_

 _And I don't need your medicine_  
_'Cause it eats away at my soul_  
_Said I don't need your medicine_  
_Let the disease swallow me whole"_

The four of you were so into the song, the sound of metal clanking snapped your attentions. You found your attention being caught by a man in suit dropping coins into the open case of the electric bass guitar. The four of you stared at him, shocked but he wordlessly gave you an approving nod and a thumbs up and went on his way. You four looked at each other and resumed your act.

 _"I'm stuck in reverse_  
_and I can see no way out_  
_a black hole of words_  
_forcing close on my doubts_  
_I'm falling deeper every second_  
_but I won't shout_

 _And I have walked for miles_  
_and I have seen such things_  
_as little boys in dresses_  
_and lions with wings_  
_But it don't seem to matter_  
_'cause my mind is black and blue_

 _And I don't need your medicine_  
_'Cause it eats away at my soul_  
_Said I don't need your medicine_  
_Let the disease swallow me whole..."_

The music faded away to a stop and an awkward silence fell. "Wow, you have quite the voice," one of the guys said, standing up. The other two followed his lead. "The name is Andreas," The dude with long hair said, holding out a hand for you to shake.

" **__** ," you said, introducing yourself as well. The two others of the group introduced themselves as well.

"I'm Noah." He was the bass player, you realized

"And I'm Aki." And he was the keytar player.

"Hey, **__**. It's kind of a coincidence that you showed up. We've been looking for a singer to join us for a while now. We've put ads everywhere but we haven't got any replies for a month. Do you want to join us and form a band?" You stared at Andreas, with your eyes narrowed.

"Bro, I just met you guys and I don't even know you. You guys might possibly be serial killers or rapists or something," you said matter-of-factly and they laughed.

"Fair enough," Aki said, still chuckling. "Okay, wanna join us for coffee or something so we can get to know you and you can get to know us?"

"Sure.' Those guys seemed pretty cool. They appeared to be clear cut and lacking in ill intentions. But you were still cautious so you decided to agree or disagree once you got to know them a little better.

"Sweet. I know a great place just around here. There's this bunny monster that sells something called cinnamon bunnies and they taste really good," Noah piped up and the four of you set off for the cinnamon bunnies.

 

* * *

 

Those guys were definitely cool. You learned that they three of them had earned an online associates degree in music six months ago and have been trying to find a singer for the last month and a half after they kicked out Aki's ex-girlfriend, their old singer, from their group.

"Bitch cheated on me," Aki grumbled.

'Yeah, she was super whiny and annoying. We're actually glad she cheated on him," Andreas said, punching Aki's shoulder, who looked vaguely annoyed at his comment.

You decided you liked them. All of their personalities seem to be vastly different from one another. Noah appeared to be an optimistic eager-beaver kind of guy. He was like a little ball of sunshine and you found his presence comforting. He had a shock of peroxide blonde hair and blue eyes. Aki appeared to be slightly on the quiet side. But he was friendly and seemed to genuinely care about his partners. He had almond shaped eyes, high cheekbones and black hair. Andreas struck you as the guy who wasn't one to tolerate any form of bullshit. He seemed to have a professional attitude when addressing you, as if you were a business partner. You appreciated that. Despite his long hair, he surprisingly managed to not look homeless or a thug. His dark eyes had a startling intelligence and sharpness to them which had you realize that no one could underestimate him. He was also the one who brought you to the fact that joining their group would count as a career with an income and that they weren't playing for leisure.

"What we intend to do is advertise ourselves as entertainers as a live band and that we offer to play at celebrations like weddings, birthdays, festivals and stuff along those lines" Andreas explained to you and you nodded. "So the way we plan to arrange our prices and packages is based on the requirements of the person who hires us. Then we arrange a quotation with them and after that, we split the cash between each of us equally."

Noah nodded and pulled out a notebook. "So what we are thinking is that we might arrange our packages from $9xx and we are thinking of charging an extra of $7xx if rehearsals are required for the events we get booked for."

"And our minimum of $9xx fee is set for one and a half hours of performance. So we might charge an extra of a four hundred and fifty for every hour extended." Aki added.

"But this is all in theory. We haven't established this yet." Andreas assured you.

"Wait, but how will we prove ourselves as professional and not amateurs? People won't want to hire amateurs," you argued.

"Well, what we figured is that we might just create a website for ourselves and put up videos of us performing in a professional studio that we can rent for a couple of hours to showcase our abilities," Noah explained and you nodded in understanding. It didn't sound like too bad a plan.

"Cool. But most importantly, what are we going to call ourselves?" You broke into a smile and the boys perked up immediately.

"So you're in?" Aki asked excitedly and you nodded.

"Definitely! You guys don't seem so bad and a band sounds like a lot of fun. But seriously though, what are we going to call ourselves?" The four of you fell silent in deep thought.

"Do you want to use our initials and string a word?" Noah asked and Andreas scoffed.

"What are we, in grade school? Be serious." he scolded and Noah looked sheepish.

You guys spent the next half an hour brainstorming possible names. You felt like you were going nowhere. The four of you agreed to have your name be elegant and classy but easy to roll off the tongue. You had a lightbulb moment.

"Maybe we could create a name based on how we met. Couldn't we use something from Medicine?" You offered and the guys seemed to like the idea.

"That sounds great actually. But which lyric could we use?" Aki mused. You ran through the lyrics of Medicine in your head and finally you found the perfect name.

"Lions with Wings!" You cried out suddenly and the guys stared at you blankly,

"That's it! Lions with Wings!  
'And I have walked for miles and I have seen such things as little boys in dresses and _lions with wings';_ guys, it's the perfect name!!!" The guys seemed to love the idea.

"Well, it's settled the. Lions with Wings, is who we are. Let's bump on it!" Noah cried out and you guys did a four way fist bump.

The four you exchanged contacts and went your separate ways. 'Lions with Wings,' you mused. You found yourself looking forward to the prospect of having to sing for a profession, even though you dismissed the thought many times over and over, trying to convince yourself and others singing was nothing. You argued within yourself so much you were so close to believing it. You didn't want to sing in front of people because you felt like they would expect it of you constantly and learn how much it really meant to you. But now, you didn't mind dappling in it further. You knew an income would come in handy, so you went to bed excited at the start of something you knew was going to be great.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOh why does singing mean so much to the reader? How do you think the relationship between the boys and her are going to go. Fun times ahead!
> 
> Anyway here is the link to the song Medicine by Shannon Wardrop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPPeNYbGqW0  
> How I actually found this song is pretty interesting. Burberry actually used this song in their advertisement for their make up line and I thought it was so good I couldn't help but research it. Here is the link to that advert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8HJ5rBnX3c
> 
> Also I'm not sure if you guys know what instrument a cajón is but it's described as a 'a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes various implements such as brushes, mallets, or sticks.' But from my understanding, it's like a sort of box you sit on and hit with your hands that is like a drum. It gives a similar sound I think. I am warning you, I might be wrong but here is a link to the image and I will be posting a photo of it on my tumblr blog (vodka-martini-blog) so you can maybe get the visual: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dblNlDzNVio/maxresdefault.jpg
> 
> Alright I think this appears to be me. And if you wish, feel free to follow my tumblr! Link: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/  
> See you guys in the next chapter!  
> -Vodka_martini


	14. Family feud

"Like seriously though, I am so glad you broke up with Mike. Literally you had no time for me because of that tool," you told Sasha with a playful punch to the arm. You were both sitting on stone benches that were outside the classroom blocks where she had just delivered the news to you that her boyfriend and herself had just broken up. The two of them were dating for about a month and a half when he suddenly just went, " _Shay I don't get you anymore. You're always all up in your quantum books and not in me_."

Your best friend's response to that statement, however, was absolutely fucking genius. " _Yeah, being in you isn't going to get me my degree. We're done_."

Sasha rolled her eyes at you. "Bitch, your monster buddies and Lions with Wings have stolen you away from me too." Your best friend had a point there. It had been about two months since Asgore and Sans had introduced you to the monster community. Your new monster buddies had basically booked up all your time, leaving your friend slightly neglected. But she had her own research that had her time occupied and with or without your monster friends, you both knew she wouldn't have had time for you either. You sighed.

"We really need to spend more time with each other," you said and she nodded.

"We really do." The best part about yours and Sasha's friendship was that you two didn't have to always be in each other's presence to solidify your friendship. Despite the two of you not having time for each other, you both texted each other quite a bit during that time and greeted each other in the halls of your campus humorously. It was unshakeable and you two knew it.

"Alright. You're coming shopping with me Saturday afternoon and you're sleeping over. No questions asked."

"Deal."

You both shook on it while staring each other intently in the eyes, then shooting a wink. That was both of your version of a pinky promise. You two invented it when you were seven and it sort of stuck.

"So how are you dealing with the whole Mike thing?" Your voice had a hint of concern. Your best friend had been in a couple of serious relationships before and had had bad experiences with them. You honestly didn't want her to get hurt and was prepared to cut any bitch who dared to try. You actually managed to get one of her exes beaten up for cheating on her with three girls and a guy at the same time. But that was a tale for another day.

"Well I'm not doing too bad. I mean I didn't give myself away all that much so it really isn't a big deal. I mean he was alright I guess but we were nothing more than just pretentious, _"how was your day, babe?"_ and just banging. I'm cool with it. He was getting annoying, though. Left the toilet seat up a lot." You burst out laughing. Your friend had delivered her spiel with a nonchalant look and you loved it.

"Good," you said once your laughter subsided. "You can find someone way hotter, without any problem because you're like on Beyoncé's level." You weren't lying when you told her that. Sasha was incredibly beautiful. She looked similar to Farrah Fawcett, to whom you definitely had a woman crush on. Back in high school she was always the one who guys wanted to get to; which resulted in you being used as a stepping stool on more than one occasion. You remembered feeling so inadequate next to Sasha when you were younger. But now you got over it because you couldn't give a shit these days. You had problems on your plate that were more important than feeling uglier than your best friend.

"Yeah yeah I know," she said dismissively, clearly telling you she was done with the topic. "So how's your band doing? Still booked like anything?"

She was referring to your band's success. Lions with Wings had kicked off well as a source of entertainment for events. Aki, the tech guru, had done such a fantastic job on the website, Andreas sorted out the advertising and Noah's help in booking the studio for the professional video shoot and recording had made your band look extremely professional. And as a result, you were being hired left and right for this and that. You guys were even hired for a funeral, which had the four of you surprised. You both performed the songs _amazing grace_ and _mad world_ at the funeral of a ninety year old man who left a 22 year old blonde chick widowed. The four of you could clearly tell she was in it for the man's money but you guys laughed about the situation after the funeral service had ended.

"Yep still booked like anything." You sighed. "Thanks for helping us out with our look though." As soon as you told Sasha you had joined a band, she was seriously excited. But while the guys had take care of the technical and business side of the operation, they gave you the task of figuring out brand image. They wanted to have a sort of special look and signature to them. And that gave you the idea to have Sasha help you out in that department. So you had Sasha meet the boys and you all threw around vision and mission statements of what you hoped Lions with Wings hoped to be.

Basically, you wanted to have the four of you dress in matchy outfits that were tasteful, classy and unique. So you both finally put together an outfit where the four of you wore matching striped pants, white v-neck shirts paired with a comfortable and casual blazer. You had the four of you also wear leather converse with a single white stripe on it's soles. The guys appeared to love it.

Sasha crossed her arms over her chest and gave you a cocky smirk. "Well what can I say? I know my stuff."

"Hell yeah you do." The sound of shuffling on the gravel had your attention and you two looked up to see Sans walking in front of you, one skeletal hand shoved into the pocket of his basketball shorts and the other holding a folder stuffed with papers.

"Hey Sans!" You waved at him cheerfully. His teeth split into a wide grin and he walked over to Sasha and yourself. "heya kid." He looked over to Sasha and gave her a polite nod.

"Good afternoon, Professor Sans." she sounded rather formal and you rolled your eyes. "Yo so how's it going?" Sasha's eyes widened at your lack of respect. "nothin' much," he replied with a shrug and a lazy drawl.

"Wait, you guys are like friends?" Sasha looked between you and Sans. You could understand her confusion. Her best friend being pals with her professor on such a casual level must've been strange, you imagined.

"yup," Sans responded with a lazy grin. "kid's a family friend. we're cool." You rolled your eyes. You and Sans were more than ' _cool_ '. You two were pretty solid friends. Bad jokes. Bickering. Late night talks. Please, that was more than just cool. But you played along with it for Sasha's sake.

"Yeah I tried to have him give you extra credits. He didn't listen to me." You glared at Sans and he chuckled. "she's not kidding. three whole hours of pestering me to give you extra credits." You grinned. Basically you texted him:

Chows: _Give Sasha three extra credits?_  
Saaaaaaans: _no._  
Chows: _Please?_  
Saaaaaaans: _no._  
Chows: _Give Sasha three extra credits?_  
Saaaaaaans: _no._  
Chows: _Please?_  
Saaaaaaans: _no._  
Chows: _Give Sasha three extra credits?_  
Saaaaaaans: _no._  
Chows: _Please?_  
Saaaaaaans: _no._

And it went on for three hours straight. Sasha gave you an annoyed look. "Seriously, **__**?"

You held your hands out defensively. "I'm looking out for you."

Sans chuckled. "well it didn't work, so don't worry." He pulled out his phone from his pocket. "welp time for class. coming Sasha?"

"I'll be there in a bit, sir." He nodded and headed off. Sasha slid off the stone bench and stretched with a sigh. You followed her movement.

"God it's so hot today," you grumbled, pulling your hair away to wipe the sweat off the back of your neck. However, you froze when you felt Sasha's fingers ghosting over the nape of it.

"You haven't taken it off?" She whispered, her fingernails tracing the white ink morphed crown tattoo, that was just below where your baby hairs tapered off. You shook your hair back violently to cover your neck.

"Well I heard it hurts like hell and I just haven't had the time to... I didn't want to think about it." Your voice went low and your best friend nodded in understanding.

"It's hard to forget, isn't it?"

"Like hell it is," you said bitterly. Your best friend pulled you into a warm hug. You immediately relaxed in her embrace. She was one of the people who kept you right, and you loved her for it.

"It's okay. You're fine. You're okay." She released you from her embrace and gave you a sad smile. She bid you goodbye and left you standing alone, fingering the brand on your skin wincing at the shame that coursed through your nerve endings when your fingers came into contact with the mark. You shoved your earbuds into your ear, blasting ACDC at full blast. Your eardrums hurt but you were desperate to have the memories quelled before they could surface.

 **♪** **Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap** **♪**

You tried shaking off the sounds of gunshots that rang in your head;

 **♪** **Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap** **♪**

The muffled sounds of screaming at 4.30 in the morning;

 **♪** **Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap** **♪**

The sound of bones breaking.

 **♪** **Dirty deeds and they're done dirt cheap** **♪**

You took a deep breath and clenched and unclenched your fists slowly.

 **♪** **Dirty deeds and they're done dirt cheap** **♪**

And nothing.

 

* * *

 

"Cool?! Seriously?!" You took your designated seat at Sans's hotdog stand, which he so kindly set up, specially for you. The skeleton chuckled.

"well what else was i supposed to call ya?"

"I don't know there are tons of substitutes for the word _'friend'_ " you grumbled as you helped Sans serve a customer. It was basically a routine for the both of you when you joined him at the stand. You helped give the customers the change while he made the hotdogs. You two were surprisingly an effective team.

"like what, buddy?" He asked once he was done serving the customer.

"Or pal," you suggested.

"whadda about chum?"

"Or fella."

And that basically sparked a war between you two on who can dish out words that were synonymous to friend back and forth.

"bruther."

"Amigo."

"pal buddy friend."

"Chummy chum chum pal."

"friend pal home slice."

"Pally pal bread slice dawg- wait what the fuck are we doing?"

"i win!" Sans laid back on his chair in triumph and you rolled your eyes.

"That was like family feud." Sans looked at you in confusion.

"what's family feud?" Your mouth dropped open in shock.

"Wait you've never watched family feud?" He nodded in confirmation and you gasped. "Holy shit are you deprived. Okay it's basically a game show where where two families compete to name the most popular responses to survey questions to win cash and prizes. And their responses sometimes are super funny it's amazing." Sans still stared at you blankly and you growled slightly in frustration. You jumped out of your seat.

"You know what chummy chum chum pal friend pal home slice bread slice dawg, we are going over to my house and playing family feud. I have the wii game version of the show." It was obvious you weren't going to take no for an answer so he wordlessly agreed and you practically dragged him to your apartment. You threw opened the door and simply threw your bag on the ground while Sans took in your place.

"ya know, surprisingly, this is the first time i've seen your place." Your eyes widened at the realization.

"Holy shit you're right! Welcome to my crib," you said as you gestured towards the room.  Your apartment was relatively large and spacious, with an open kitchen and pantry with a bar counter and stools for dining. Your living room simply hosted a linen couch for two with arm chairs circling a wide television set. Sans thought it seemed rather exorbitant for a single person but he thought no more of it. There was a corridor, which he could see had two doors, one at the side and one to the end of it. He assumed it was your bathroom and bedroom.

You rushed over to the kitchen and threw open your fridge. "Heads up," you called out as you launched a ketchup bottle in the air. Sans with his reflexes managed to catch it easily while you brought yourself a can of coke. You nudged him onto your couch and fiddled with your wii console and brought up the game. "Buckle up, bread slice this is gonna be a long ride..."

 

* * *

 

**NAME SOMETHING YOU EAT WITH PEANUT BUTTER!**

Sans buzzed in with lightning speed and you whined. "i'm gonna say jelly," he keyed the answer in with a shit eating grin and it came up as number one on the survey board, earning him sixty one dollars.

"Oh fuck you," you growled smacking him with a couch cushion, but his grin never wavered.

"I get another turn? right i say crackers." The answer came up third on the survey board and you groaned.

"I hate watching you win," you grumbled and he chuckled. "welp, ya better get used to it." He shot you a wink and that earned him another cushion whack. His next guess was bread which came up second on the survey board. But the last two had the two of you stumped but tried to guess nonetheless. Your family tried to take the steal but were unable to. Then the remaining two answers flashed on screen.

 **RAISINS**  
**CELERY**

"Who the fuck eats peanut butter with celery?!?!" You were fuming while Sans just looked weirded out.

"let's see if we can do better the next round?" He suggested. "hopefully, you can come close to winning." Another cushion whack was given to his smug face.

**NAME SOMEONE OR SOMETHING THAT HAS WINGS!**

You made sure to buzz in quick thus earning your family to make a guess.

"I think bird would be a good answer..." It came up first on the survey board and you hooted triumphantly.

You placed airplane as your next guess and it came up second on the survey board. You were quickly out of ideas. "What should be next guess?" You asked Sans but he shrugged. "don't ask me, Chows. i ain't helping ya." You pouted and went back to the screen and hummed thoughtfully.

"I'm going to say...dragons!" You keyed it in excitedly and a big **X** flashed across the screen. "Oh come the fuck on!" You almost threw your controller on the ground. "I've met an actual dragon! This game is RACIST!!!" Sans couldn't stop laughing. He clutched his ribs tightly while you were fuming. You were so entertaining to be around and it instantly made his day. "Well there goes my next option. I was gonna say dinosaurs but that's out of the question now." But your next to attempts were wrong so Sans had the opportunity to take the steal. He leaned forward thoughtfully.

"what has wings? maybe... _dings_...?" You couldn't quite catch what he said so you gave him a confused look. "never mind," he waved you off. "i'm thinking angel," he proclaimed and you stared at him. "You could actually take the steal with angel. I was thinking of buffaloes."

"but buffaloes don't have wings," he pointed out.

"But buffalo wings ARE fucking delicious." Sans rolled his eye-lights and keyed in angel. Luckily, he managed to take the steal with that guess. However, the last answer on the survey was Pegasus which infuriated you even further. "Pegasus doesn't even exist but dragons do yet you mark me wrong?! I am going to write the dev team a strongly worded email..."

Needless to say, you were full of melodramatics and you were definitely NOT going to do that. So Sans and yourself spent the rest of the afternoon playing family feud, and unsurprisingly he won. Unlike you, Sans had a critical mind while you were just jumping all over the place with your thoughts. He thought logically while you just keyed in whatever first popped into your head, however nonsensical it was. And as all good things had to end, your afternoon of family feud with Sans had ended. The two of you legitimately had a whale of a time.

"See you later, bread-slice?" You opened your door for him.

"see ya Chows." He gave you a lazy wave and went on his way to his and Papyrus's home. And on his way home, he could help but not stop smiling. Every moment with you was ridiculously exciting and fun. You were unlike him in the way where you were spry and always on your feet, in a way that wasn't criticizing him of his own lackadaisical nature. It was refreshing because you just complemented his chill in a way like peanut butter and celery, apparently. You showed him new things every time you two hung out and you just understood him, be it without much knowledge but you accepted him. He entered his home, his smile not dulling.

He looked forward to tomorrow, knowing you were around.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I feel like this chapter was overdue I don't know why. But Anyhoo did you guys see me elusive Gaster reference?? ;) heh heh I'm so sneaky. lol but seriously though the family feud thing was inspired by the Game Grumps where Danny and Arin actually played the family feud game on some console and I pretty much ripped the questions off and Danny putting dragons as the answer. (I'm honest about my plagiarizing okay! ;-; I hate myself) so here is a link to their family feud playlist on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRyxp6npbMIEtCs26n7sCc5cZhxmJ_azX
> 
> And also the whole friend synonym war was inspired by this crack video where I did rip off some of the words like bread slice ugh I feel like scum the international baccalaureate will not approve but since I'm citing my sources I think I'm ok. (Also fun fact I'm an ib student fuck TOK that's all I can say): https://youtu.be/VjB1HEYo7g0
> 
> And the song I had referenced is called Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap by ACDC and the link to that song is right here: https://youtu.be/whQQpwwvSh4
> 
> Lastly, I compiled a series of images from google which showed like what the Lions with Wings signature look is. For a visual you can click the link right here: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/post/146600578198/so-this-is-the-signiture-look-i-put-together-for
> 
> It's on my official tumblr account dedicated to my fanfics where I post video links of all the songs and videos I reference and chapter updates. So follow me, I am vodka-martini-blog, if you're interested. I'll see you guys in the next chapter!  
> -Vodka_martini


	15. I'd rudder NOT vote my conscience

**_"Damn, Cora. Ya sure yer fresh and not El Chapo?" Half of their face was veiled by darkness but they, Cora, smiled at the comment and tapped the end of their blunt on the sewer floor._ **

**_"Yep. Definitely sure," Cora said lazily. "I guess you could say I'm... Smoking the Gun." Ugly laughter filled your ears and Cora took a long drag of their blunt. Suddenly all you saw was the scene turn from red to blue to yellow to green and back to red. Cora started to laugh but it was distorted, slow, manic, demonic and you saw bleeding eyes blink back at you._ ** ****

**They were yours...**

 

* * *

 

Midnight snacks were great when he couldn't sleep at night. It was one of those nights where Sans had come back from work late and was absolutely bone tired ( _heh_ ) but when he hit his skull to the pillow, his thoughts consisted of, _'I wonder who invented the microwave and why it came about,'_ or about the same caliber. So he teleported his way downstairs and got himself a glass of milk. He took a look inside the fridge and stared at the cartons of milk and boxes of spaghetti, trying to look for any other options.

Other than spaghetti, Papyrus had been found to take an obsession with milk after someone at the supermarket told him that milk was good for bones. Sans did like the milk so it didn't bother him much. Except banana milk. He felt like banana milk was a crime to all of the universe. He hated that chemically induced artificially flavoured piece of shi-  
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his phone vibrating. He pulled it out to find a message from you.

Chows: _What did one ocean say to another?_

He frowned a little. The time on his phone said it was about 3.57 in the morning. He decided to humour you.

Saaaaaaans: _i dunno, what?_  
Chows: _Nothing. They just waved._

He pondered on your words for a moment and facepalmed when he got the joke. He held back his laughter by clapping a skeletal hand over his teeth.

Chows: _Did you sea what I just did there?_  
Saaaaaaans: _sure did kid._  
Chows: _Don't you mean, shore, did?_

Sans could picture you smirking right about then. He plopped himself on the couch and went back to texting you.

Saaaaaaans: _so water you up to at this hour?_  
Chows: _Ooh nice one. But yeah, wanna take a guess based on the messages I sand-t you?_

Okay, Sans had to admit the sand one was pretty genius. He reminded himself to give you a pat on the back when he had the chance. For now, he needed to play Sherlock Bones based on your texts. You had to be doing something water related based on the puns. So he tried his luck.

Saaaaaaans: _you're at the pond in the park?_

_Chows is typing..._

Chows: _No, not exactly. But keep going._  
Saaaaaaans: _you're doing something with water?_  
Chows: _Yes but could you be a little more Pacific?_

_Saaaaaaans is typing..._

Saaaaaaans: _you're at the beach?_  
Chows: _Yup! I'm glad to see you're onboard._

Sans loved puns more than anyone could possibly imagine but damn yours had him _reeling_. 'still got it,' he thought to himself while continuing to text you.

Saaaaaaans: _why're you at the beach at four in the morning?_

_Chows is typing..._

Chows: _Couldn't sleep. And I was board. So here I am. Wanna join me? I've been longfin for some nice company._

Sans thought for a moment. He was on the same _boat_ as you were on the not being able to sleep front. He figured he didn't have anything to lose.

Saaaaaaans: _shore. why not?_

So he teleported back to his room, grabbed his hoodie and keys and teleported to Ebott beach. He remembered Frisk, Papyrus and Alphys throwing Undyne a surprise birthday party there. The situation was pretty amusing as he remarked to Toriel that they were basically racist for bringing Undyne, of all people, to the beach.

He craned his cervical vertebrae, trying to see where you were. He found the sand to be devoid of people. However, his eye-lights fell across the groyne that extended from the shore to a little way out into the sea and he found a hunched figure close to the edge. He pulled himself up onto the groyne by hooking his skeletal fingers into the grooves of the rocks. He slowly walked towards you, calling out, "ain't it too late to be _floundering_ about, kid? you should be at home." You turned around and your face split into a grin.

" _Astern_ attitude doesn't befit you, mate," you said patting the rocky ground beside you. He gladly joined you. He took a quick look at you. You were sitting cross-legged while wearing a pair of pajama pants and a ratty T-Shirt with your huge military coat above it. You stared ahead, not saying a word so Sans followed suit. But ever so often and unbeknownst of you, he glanced at you. He noticed you had circles under your eyes and that you were clutching the sides of your coat with shaky hands. Your face looked passive and Sans sensed that there was more to all of this.

"come here often?" You turned to him with a small smile.

"On occasion, yeah. The park is closer to home but this place is great for just fresh air and zen, you know?"

"how'd ya get here?" Your place was rather far from the beach so Sans assumed you weren't crazy enough to walk all the way, but with you he was never exactly sure.

"Bike." You said simply and he understood. Ebott city was full of those rent a bicycle stands to conserve the environment. It was sad when he discovered he left one depleting world for another.

"guess you were _two-tyred_ to walk huh?" Your eyes went wide at his comment and you practically howled with laughter.

"Holy shit Sans that was actually fantastic. Props to you man," you said, wiping a tear from your eye.

"well what can i say? i am quite the comic." You gave him a sideways glance.

"Comic Sans... Dude, I'd never degrade you to that," you told him seriously, your eyes somber. "Comic Sans is the font I used for the assignments given to me by my least favourite teachers to piss them off. And if I'm lost with that assignment and I'm just staring at my computer screen for a really long time, I snap at the font and how stupid it looks. I don't want to associate you with it." You weren't joking and you seemed to be dead serious.

"okay, kid. which Sans font do you think i'd be?" You placed a finger on the bottom of your lip and seemed to think hard.

"TheSans," you decided, looking him straight in the eye-sockets. Sans raised a brow-bone. He had never heard of such a font.

"TheSans?" He asked questioningly and you nodded.

"Thesis Sans. I use that particular font for important documents and assignment papers. It a really neat font that's not super formal, but at the same time gives a semblance of business. Just like you." Sans felt his soul slightly warm at that. You weren't wrong. That was exactly what he was in meetings and classes: not super formal but still professional. He liked that. He was, however, surprised you were able to intuitively understand his attitude. He wanted to know how you did.

"why'd ya say that?" Sans sounded casual enough but sometimes psychoanalysis made him wary. In your case, he wasn't exactly wary. You and him were very alike, despite not appearing to be because of his lackadaisical nature and you simply just going all out with everyone. You related to him and could understand him more than anyone could, be it without ANY words acknowledging it between you two.

"It's just like your puns and just you being you. You give off that clown-ey easy going character but I think that there's a lot happening up there." You tapped his temple lightly. "Thoughts, questions, theories. There are probably so many thoughts going through your head. You being a quantum professor can suggest as much. But I guess it seems like a lot of people forget sometimes that you are a quantum professor and are just the Sans they think they know: the _comic_ and not the brilliant guy within." You gave him a smile and nudge.

"who's the Sans you think you know?" His voice was teasing but in reality he really wanted to know what you thought of him. There were so many parts of him you just understood and it felt both liberating and unnerving.

You breathed through your nose for a moment then proceeded to reply. "I think you're a sweetheart," you told him with a smile. "Look at the way you act with Papyrus. You literally sing praises about him like almost every second."

"i do not," Sans whined while you just gave him a look.

"Oh yeah. Yeah you do. You love your brother, clearly. And you adore Frisk too. But you have a depth to you that is remarkable and the person who really discovers those depths of you will be the luckiest being in the world, because Sans you're special. You have so much more to you that when I get the privilege to see the facets and sides of you that make up who you are, it makes me understand you more as a friend and just realize that you're more than what people think you are. You're THE-Sans because there's only one of you and I won't have it or want it any other way."

By that point, the apples of Sans's cheeks had gone completely blue and you giggled at the sight. "Don't get too cocky, Bones. You still can be a pain in the ass," you said with a wink and another nudge to his shoulder blade which had him laugh as well. The laughter between the two of you subsided and peaceful silence reigned for a bit. Then Sans spoke up.

"ya know, if you were a font, you'd be The **__**. 'cause there's only one of you too." You simply waved him away at that.

"Nah. The **__** would be pretty boring, I think."

Sans's brows knitted together. "now, why would you say that?"

You sighed. "Well, there's nothing too interesting about me. I'm just an ordinary person who likes reading, sleeping, singing and writing poetry who no one cares about. In the world of fonts, I don't think it'll matter. I don't think I _deserve_ to matter." You stared out into the sea, a million and a half thoughts about your lack of worth running through your head.

 _'You don't deserve love.'_  
_'You shouldn't be given kindness.'_  
_'You're a horrible person.'_  
_'You're selfish.'_  
_'All you've done is hurt people, over and over again.'_  
_'You'll NEVER be able to repent for what you've done.'_  
_'You'll never be forgiven, so STOP trying.'_

The endless cycle of torment (courtesy of your conscience) was broken when you felt a smooth, skeletal hand slide over your own.

"hey, don't do that. why do you think you don't deserve to matter?" Sans stared at your side profile with a burning gaze. You turned away from him.

"I just don't..." Your voice was barely a whisper but Sans heard you, clear as day.

"i think you matter, kid. you're a good person..."  
_'You're not a good person,'_ your conscience countered.

"...you're kind and make so many of us happy..."  
_'Not before bringing them misery, that is.'_

'...it's always great to be around you..."  
_'It'll be even better to be away from you.'_

"so don't think that way about yourself ok?"  
_'You know it's true. Don't deny it.'_

"Okay," you muttered and Sans seemed to be satisfied. But you knew you couldn't not think about yourself that way. Because deep down, you knew that your conscience was not wrong. But you were just in denial. And you didn't plan to accept it any time soon.

"good. because I think The **__** would be revolutionary." You gave Sans a sad smile at that. There he was, comforting you, giving you the love you didn't deserve. The least you could do was accept it. But you didn't. His efforts were in vain.

You felt like an ungrateful bitch...

You found your eyes starting to water. You shut them to have them recede, and you felt yourself calm down a little. But the calm was ruined when you saw your own bleeding eyes staring back at you behind your eyelids and they shot open, your chest heaving slightly. Sans looked towards you, concerned. He patted your hand a little.

"you okay Chows?" You took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah I was sort of falling asleep there for a sec so I kinda jolted awake."  
_'There's the liar we know and love,'_ your conscience sneered.

"want me take you home? we've been here for quite a while..." You nodded gratefully.

"Yes please. I'm barely keeping my _head above water._ " You winked at Sans and he chuckled at the pun.

"alright. hold on tight. don't want you to _walk the plank_." He winked at you and you smirked in response. Sans wrapped an arm around your waist and you both blipped out of existence. For a split second, all you could see was darkness and you could hear static. But before you could process the information, your feet touched the ground and your stomach lurched. You clutched it a little and straightened yourself. Now that you'd done it a second time, it wasn't as shocking.

"Thanks, Bread-slice. Saved me a ton of trouble." Sans waved you off.

"no problem. anythin' for a buddy."

You grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him intensely in the eye-sockets. Sans was startled. "Seriously though, thanks for giving me company tonight. Would've been pretty dull without you."

"same here. i had a _whale_ of a time with those puns." He gave you a shit eating grin, ruining that nice, emotional moment between the two of you.

"We should _scale_ back our efforts with them, though. If Papyrus was here... He'd be _eeling_ with _anchor_." That had brought Sans another onslaught of rowdy laughter.

"ah, kid you're _krilling_ me here." That had you erupt in snorts. Once the laughter finally died down, Sans bid you goodbye and teleported himself home.

Once he was gone, you noticed how much louder the silence got when you were alone in your apartment. Your large slanted windows normally had your place look airy and bright. But tonight, the lights from the street brought out dancing shadows which looked as if they were writhing, reaching out to drag an unsuspecting victim into darkness... You shivered at the thought and practically dashed your way into bed. As soon as your head hit the pillow, you fell asleep.

But your conscience didn't. You were tormented with another round of nightmares...

* * *

  
**♪** **I want to swim away but don't know how**  
**Sometimes it feels just like I'm falling in the ocean** **♪**

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit I am so sorry for the huge delay for this chapter shit got crazy man and I kinda lost track of where I was going with it because in my head I had a different plan and then the whole scenario popped up and it gave a whole other tangent and whoop.
> 
>  
> 
> And also another reason it took so long was that perfecting the ocean puns were really tough ahahaha. Like wow it was intense I almost became hydrophobic with them. I hope I can upload the next chapter faster and I'll see y'all in the next one!  
> -vodka_martini
> 
> P.S. The song I referenced at the end of this chapter is called Into The Ocean by Blue October and the link to it is right here: https://youtu.be/ZES3nJQYJok  
> You can also find it on my tumblr which is called vodka-martini-blog and here is the URL: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/  
> Feel free to follow me!


	16. Dead woman walking

**♪** **And my face turned to red**  
**From drinking all that dead water**

 **And then again when you said**  
**That I was my mother's daughter** **♪**

* * *

The wind was biting. You were waiting against a telephone pole, with your earbuds in, for Sasha. You both had planned to spend the day with each other by just going on a shopping spree. You were pretty damn excited. Shopping with Sasha was always great. She had an incredible sense of style and was always bubbling with energy, even when the two of you were bogged with shopping bags.

" **__**? Oh my goodness is that really you?!" Your attention was snapped by the overly perky, high-pitched and all too familiar voice. You turned around slowly and came face to face with Rhonda Andrews. She was basically one of those superficial and vain bitches who walked around with a chihuahua in their Louis Vuitton purse; except she was 60 but acted like she was 35.

"Oh honey, how are you?" She broke into a smile and you notice some powder fleck off her caked face.

"I'm good," you replied pleasantly, but your eyes were wary. You never liked this woman. She was extremely catty and loved to brag about others' misfortune to make herself feel better.

"Look at you, all grown up and independent," she gushed while her eyes took in every inch of you.

"Hmm you could put in a little more effort in your appearance but other than that, you're looking EXACTLY like your mother!"

At the mention of your mother, your blood turned to ice and your chest constricted. You inhaled sharply. Rhonda however didn't notice your obvious change in demeanor and continued to prattle on.

"Yes she was a lovely woman. It was a shame she killed herself. Don't know why she did it..." You started clenching your fists so hard you felt your nails bite into your skin.

"...If only she was alive, I would give her the makeover I promised I would." She barked out a fake and sickly sweet laugh.

"Yes, if only," you replied coldly, your body trembling all over. Thankfully, you were saved by the sound of a cell phone ringing.

"Ooh, one moment please," Rhonda said as she fished through her bag for her phone. "It's probably my son. He's a lawyer, you know." She answered the call and you stepped away from her.

"Hi sweetie! Oh? Your case ended? You won? That's wonderful." Rhonda threw a pointed look at you and you reciprocated with a thin-lipped smile.

"Alright, I'll be there. Bye, sweetie!" She ended the call and turned back to you. "I've got to go, **__** but it was wonderful seeing you again!"

"Same," you responded sharply and she left with a wave and a flying kiss, which you batted away in disgust.

Once she was out of sight, you unclenched your fists slowly and examined your palms. Your nails had broke the skin and left bleeding crescent marks. You shakily wiped your palms against your leggings. You felt a slight vibration in your pocket and you whipped out your phone to find a call from Sasha. You hit answer.

"Hey **__**! Sorry for keeping you waiting it's just class just ended and I'll be there in-"

"Don't bother. Shopping is off today. Go home." Your response was curt and snappy. There was silence on the other end.

"Oh um okay," Sasha said awkwardly. " **__** , you okay?" She sounded genuinely concerned but you didn't want deal with anything at that moment.

"Yeah I'm fine. Gotta go." You hung up the phone abruptly and rested your forehead against the telephone pole.

 _"You're looking EXACTLY like your mother!"_  
_"It was a shame she killed herself."_  
_"Don't know why she did it..."_

Rhonda's annoying voice rang in your head. Your chest started to constrict tighter and you gasped. You knew you were beginning to hyperventilate. A motorcycle zoomed by and you stumbled back. You were experiencing sensory overload and you had get out of there FAST before you went bonkers.

So you ran as fast as you could. You practically knocked anyone who came your way. Your body appeared to be on autopilot and you couldn't even process anything going around you, and finally you arrived in your apartment. You slammed the door behind you and breathed heavily, clutching your winded belly.

Once you felt yourself settle, you marched to your kitchen cabinet and grabbed a bottle of NyQuil. You reached deeper into your cabinet for your bottle of Milk Vodka. But you paused. It seemed to be too mild so you slammed the cabinet door and reached under the sink and pulled out your half empty tin of Cocoroco. _'Desperate times calls for desperate measures,'_ you had always told yourself whenever you resorted to THAT specific kind of booze; The kind that was illegal. With it's 96% of alcohol concentration, Cocoroco was a remedy for extreme situations. So you pulled out a shot glass and mixed your Cocoroco with the NyQuil and downed it smoothly, unfazed. And then you took another shot of your concoction and set the shot glass in the sink. You felt head start to buzz and you knew that the Cocoroco was working its magic so dropped your shot glass in the sink and you stumbled to your bedroom. On the way, you haphazardly pulled off your shoes and jacket and threw them on the ground. You collapsed onto your bed and pretty much almost knocked out instantly.

* * *

  
**♪** **And my face turned to red**  
**From drinking all that dead water**

 **And then again when you said**  
**That I was my mother's daughter** **♪**

 

* * *

 

**_You were standing in one of those carnival tents that was surrounded with those crazy mirrors. You inspected yourself in each of them. You giggled as you saw yourself being stretched, thin, fat and short. You stopped in front of one mirrors. It appeared to have nothing remarkable about it, it was just an ordinary mirror._ **

**_You stepped in front of it and stared at your reflection. You saw your face morph into someone else's; your mother's. Her eyes were soft and kind  and she was smiling at you._ **

**_You gasped and stumbled back. "Mom?" You asked, reaching out to touch the mirror._ **

**_"It's all your fault," your mother's once kind eyes turned hard and sweet voice boomed. It sounded hollow and echoed throughout the tent. You flinched and retracted your hand. "You could have saved me. You could've saved me from HIM. But you did nothing. All you did was hide like a coward. YOU killed me! You LET me die! It's all your fault."_ **

**_Tears were streaming down your face. "I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry."_ **

**_You found the rest of the mirrors closing in on you, and all of them had your mother's face, chanting, "It's all your fault It's all your fault It's all your fault It's all your fault It's all your fault It's all your fault It's all your fault It's all your fault."_ **

**_You fell to your knees and screamed, clutching your hands to your ears..._ **

 

* * *

 

You sat up with a gasp and clutched your knees to your chest. You rocked back and forth as you tried taking in deep breaths, to calm yourself down. Tears streamed down your face. Finally, you couldn't take it and you hopped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. You threw open the toilet lid and emptied the contents of your gut. Your throat burned and you slowly stood up with shaky legs. You set the lid down and flushed the toilet. You stumbled towards the sink and splashed cold water towards your face.

You looked up slowly and found yourself staring at your reflection through the bathroom's cabinet mirror. Your eyes were bloodshot from crying and water dripped down your face. As you stared at your reflection, longer and longer, you thought you saw your mother's face blinking back at you. You gasped and stepped away from it.

 _"It's all your fault It's all your fault It's all your fault It's all your fault It's all your fault It's all your fault It's all your fault It's all your fault,"_ your mother's voice rang in your head once more. You saw her eyes turning to red and blood dripping from them like teardrops.

You wailed, reeled back and threw your fist against your mother's face in the mirror. Her face disappeared as the mirror cracked from the strength of your punch.

You fell on your ground and stared at your mangled hand, glass pieces embedded into your skin and a large cut running across your knuckles with blood flowing steadily from it...

 

* * *

 

You knocked on the door of Toriel's home with your recessive hand; your dominant hand was badly hurt due to the assault upon your mirror. So you had it treated and your knuckles bandaged, but to hide it from your monster friends, you wore fashionable but thick fingerless gloves to cover up the bandage and some of the cuts. Toriel and Frisk had invited you to their house for lunch and stated that Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus and Sans were joining them as well. The door swung open to a smiling Toriel.

"Hello there, my dear. So good of you to..." Toriel's expression turned to one of surprise when she glanced upon your face. "...Join us," she finished with a forced smile. You nodded curtly and walked past her into the house. Toriel trailed behind you, looking slightly concerned.

You hung up your coat onto the rack and headed towards their dining room. You passed the little table which Flowey usually resided on. He looked at you oddly. "What's up with your face?" He sneered at you.

"Nothing, I'm just ugly," you said pleasantly but your voice had a dark undertone to it and your eyes glinted dangerously. Flowey took that chance to shut up. You were in no mood to deal with his bullshit. Every time you visited Toriel's or encountered Flowey, he never failed to insult you or take a jab at you. You had no idea what you had done wrong to tick him off in such a way but all you knew was today, you did not want to be pushed into plucking off his petals one by one. He seemed to get the message as well because he simply stared at you curiously.

You swept past him into the dining room. Everyone  turned around at your arrival. "Hey punk! Good to see you here," Undyne's grin broke off when she stared at your face. You ignored her surprised look and took a vacant seat opposite Alphys. You noticed everyone staring at you, with concerned looks on their faces.

"It's good to be here," you said warmly while placing a slice of pie onto your empty plate. "Oh sorry, Toriel, I didn't ask if I could eat your pie."

"It's no problem, my child. Help yourself." You did exactly that. There was an awkward silence as you ate. The others had stopped eating and were watching you. Suddenly, Papyrus stood up abruptly and broke the spell.

"HUMAN **__** ," Papyrus bellowed and you looked up from your slice of pie.

"Yeah?" You asked, your mouth still very much full of buttspie.

"THERE IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT YOU TODAY! YOU DON'T LOOK THE SAME!"

You let out a tinkling laugh at his comment. "Maybe I've lost weight? I'm not sure what you mean." You directed your attention back to your pie while the others shot each other concerned glances.

"U-um **__** are you okay?" Alphys asked and you giggled.

"Never better! I'm fine, I assure you!"

 

* * *

 

You were definitely not fine. Sans stood at the corner of the room, the white lights of his eye sockets trained on you intensely. Your face was... Not your face. Your bone structure seemed to have changed. You had sharper cheekbones, a stronger jawline and a skinnier nose. You seemed to be almost unrecognizable. He wondered what the hell was up with you. He simply observed the way you were. The others in the dining room made conversation with you and your responses were pretty standard you. But the others were extremely put off with your alien face and expressions. But you seemed to act like the world was your oyster and you were it's pearl. It was bizarre.

But then when you closed one of your hands around your glass of water, Sans noticed you sucking in a breath sharply and dropping your hand. You used your other hand to grab the glass and you had no problem. That's when Sans's attention was drawn to your hands; specifically your fingerless gloves.

From the while he's known you, he's never seen you wear fingerless gloves. It was an odd fashion choice for you. And you were eating. Wouldn't you take off your gloves while you were eating? He stared at your hands closely. He noticed one of the gloves of yours to be more bumpy in more places than others. He also noticed odd patches of colouring on the sides of your fingers. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what was wrong with you; but whatever it was, he knew it was bad.

Sans felt almost sick staring at what wasn't you. He felt like he was witnessing a disaster unfold but being unable to do anything about it. So he simply teleported out of Toriel's house back into his room. He lay in bed, thinking about what could possibly be up with you...

 

* * *

 

Sasha paced about your university courtyard. She had been trying to reach you for about two days now. Your texts hadn't indicated that you've read them and when she tried to ring you but it went straight to voicemail. She was getting pretty concerned about you. You had... Issues, to put it bluntly. And ones that weren't any laughing matter so if you were upset about something, it usually was a sign that something must have triggered your trauma. She remembered nights when the two of you were rooming together where you woke up screaming and crying and just running to the kitchen and drowning your sorrows in alcohol to the point of getting it pumped out of your system.

You tried to take life as easy as possible. You didn't want to think about anything. Sasha knew all you wanted to do was keep moving; keep running. That led to you making reckless decisions; dangerous ones too. _"Do I burn calories from running away from my problems?"_ You always told Sasha when she suggested going with her to the gym or anything related to physical activity. Your words had a ring of truth, though. You did run away from your problems. It wasn't healthy but that's what got you through an endless spiral of despair, guilt, regret and fear. If it worked, then it worked.

"keep pacing and you'll wear a hole in the concrete." Sasha turned around to see a relaxed looking Sans looking at her with a lazy grin and his skeletal hands stuffed into the pockets of his basketball shorts.

"Oh, hey Professor Sans. Didn't see you there." Sasha ran a hand through her distractedly, still having her feelers out for you. Sans noticed her distraction and spoke up.

"you're gonna be late for class if you keep staying out here. what are you doing out here anyway?" Sasha finally focused on Sans.

"I'm looking out for **__**. I haven't seen her in forever. I tried calling and texting but she couldn't be reached. I'm a little worried, to be honest." She was wringing her hands with worry.

"i saw her. a couple of days ago. Tori invited em for lunch the other day and something wasn't right. her face looked weird and stuff. i think you should go check up on her."

Sasha stared at him looking puzzled. "Her face? What do you mean?"

"it was like her facial structure was completely changed. and she seemed to be too happy and chirpy like it was forced or something."

"Okay that doesn't sound very good..." She replied slowly and Sans nodded solemnly.

"heya Sasha. do you wanna skip class today to check on your friend? it seems pretty important and it's alright. i'd like to know if she's okay as well." Sasha's heart melted. She couldn't believe how kind and understanding her professor was.

"Thanks Professor Sans. I think I'd like to do that."

"ok. take care of em, alright?" Sasha nodded in confirmation and picked up her books and dashed away from him to get to your place.

Sans watched her leave, his grin slipping a little. He couldn't deny that he was concerned and worried for you. But he didn't know how to approach you and he knew your friend would be able to take care of you. So he turned on his heel and walked to his class, ready for another seminar and feeling his worry ease a little.

 

* * *

 

Sasha panted as she reached your front door. Her hair was messy and her face was flushed. She was however pretty athletic so she shook off the feeling quickly. She put her ear to your door and tried to listen for any indication of your presence. She heard nothing. So she knocked on the door with her ear still pressed against the door. She heard some shuffling but it stopped immediately when she knocked. She rolled her eyes. It was obvious you were home.

" _Hello... It's me,_ " Sasha sang jokingly. She still heard silence but a soft snort broke the spell.

"Come on, **__**. Don't leave me hanging," she whined. A sigh was heard and a smile ripped across her face.

" _Hello. Is it me you're looking for?_ " You called out from the other side of the door.

"Yup. It is you I'm looking for. So wanna let me in? Getting kinda cold out here..." She pulled her ear away from the door and waited patiently for you to let her in. When the door opened, she broke into a smile but that smile turned upside down when she glanced upon your face.

"Wow... You've mastered the art of countouring, huh?" Sasha asked with forced and uneasy laughter. Sans was right when he said you did not look like yourself at all. Your face was contoured with make-up pretty damn heavily to the point where your cheeks looked almost hollow and ghoul-like while your chin was as sharp as a knife. Sasha walked into your place and sat herself down on your couch while eyeing you warily. It was pretty damn unnerving to see how you looked almost like a different person, and how convincing it was.

"What happened?" Her voice was gentle and reassuring. Your lip quivered a little and you sat yourself beside your friend, not saying a word.

"You're not okay, **__**. I know you're not. Tell me what happened."

"I roasted the cocoa bean," you whispered softly while staring at the ground.

"What?"

"I roasted the cocoa bean," you said louder while pulling out your empty tin of Cocoroco from behind the couch cushion and clutching it in your shaking hands. You heard Sasha suck in a sharp breath.

" **__** , Cocoroco is illegal in Ebott. Heck, it's illegal everywhere. Where did you get this from?" Your friend's voice had a hint of fear in it. She hoped to god you weren't caught up in any illegal activities. That road was not a fun one and you, more than anyone else, knew that.

"Nah. I had saved it for wonderful and special occasions," you said bitterly.

"What was this special occasion?" Sasha approached you with this question in a gentle and careful manner not to trigger you in any way. You looked up at her with woeful eyes.

"I ran into Rhonda Andrews the other day," you started and Sasha's face grimaced.

"You mean the one from back home? What is she doing her?"

"Her son is a lawyer or something," you said dismissively. Sasha scoffed at that.

"But she looked at me and said something like _'you look just like your mother and shame she had to kill herself.'_ " You took a shuddering breath at the memory and you felt Sasha's soft and smooth hand envelope your own shaking ones.

"Go on," she encouraged softly and you sucked in a breath.

"And then I couldn't process anything. I just sort of ran home and then took NyQuil and Cocoroco to knock me out. And then the nightmare came."

You were trembling all over by this point which had Sasha inch closer to you and wrap an arm around your shoulder to steady you.

"I dreamt that I was in this carnival tent thing with those crazy mirrors. And then all of them had mom's face telling me that it was all my fault and that I killed her. And when I looked into the mirror I saw her face instead of mine so I broke the mirror."

"Wait, what?" Sasha exclaimed, reaching out for your hand. Most of the cuts had healed but the one across your knuckles was scabbed with the skin around it red. She took in a sharp breath.

"I didn't want to look like her," you whispered. "I didn't want to remember what happened and what I had done," you said as you gestured towards your face helplessly.

"It's okay," Sasha said gently as tears streamed down your face, making your makeup run. Sasha pulled out makeup removing wipes from her bag, ever prepared.

"It's okay. It was just a nightmare. Genetics are a thing. You can't not look like your mom, **__**. It's the way it is. You can't possibly change the way you look because it reminds you of all that happened. You just have to accept it."

Your friend was slowly and gently wiping away  the parts of your face that were contoured as she talked. She was the voice of reason and you felt yourself calm down and beginning to think rationally.

"You're right..." You muttered. Sasha pulled out a mirror from her bag and opened it up for you to see. You turned away from the mirror, afraid you'd see your mother's face.

"Look at it," Sasha said. But you shut your eyes. You didn't want to take the chance.

" **__** , open your eyes and look at it. It'll be no one else but you. Come on, look at the mirror." Sasha's gentle coaxing had you give in. You slowly opened your eyes all you saw was your own face staring back at you, eyes red and puffy from crying. You stared harder, prepared to find your face morphing into your mother's. But that did not happen.

"See? It's only you. You're okay." You nodded numbly. You then turned to your best friend and pulled her into a tight hug, as if she may be lost forever.

"Thank you," you whispered into her shoulder and Sasha rubbed your back.

"I'm always looking out for you, **__**. You had me worried there when I couldn't reach you. Thank goodness Professor Sans told me something was off with you."

"Wait, Sans?" You asked questioningly.

"Yeah he told me that you looked different and weren't acting right and that I should go check on you. He even let me skip class to come see you. Man, he's so nice."

"Yeah, nice..." Your mind was spinning. Sans was the one who gave Sasha the heads up that you weren't alright? He must have been looking out for you even when you weren't aware of it.

" **__**? No more Cocoroco, okay? It nearly killed you last time and it definitely has killed people. 96% alcohol level is no joke and also the fact that it's illegal should make you stop drinking it. Are you listening? NO more." You nodded. When Sasha was reprimanding you, you  found yourself never wanting to cross her; she could be that scary. Her eyes softened and she held you closer to her.

"You'll be okay, **__**. You'll be okay," she repeated and you believed her. When Sasha said you would be okay, she genuinely believed that you would pull through. And her genuine faith in you to be strong had always kept you going.

And then your mind wandered over to Sans. He was so kind as to point out to your best friend that you needed help and that you weren't okay. He could have not cared. He could have just thought of your misdemeanor as you simply just being odd but he didn't. He knew you well enough to know that something was wrong. So you pulled out your phone and typed out a message.

Chows: _Thank you._

Almost instantaneously, you felt the device vibrate and the phone screen light up.

Saaaaaaans: _no problem._  
Saaaaaaans: _take care of yourself, kid._  
Saaaaaaans: _'cause people really care about you._

Your heart warmed.

Chows: _Okay._

You turned back to your friend and for the rest of the afternoon she helped you get through the remnants of the nightmare and the trauma. And in the back of your head, you kept a certain skeleton in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit it has been three months. I am so sorry. I told you in thre author's note that I had been going through some stuff. Well, I have and life has been rough but as things are falling in place I feel like this story is starting to fall in place as well so I will do my best to make sure that I start uploading regularly once again. Thanks for your patience and I can't thank you enough for understanding.  
> -Vodka_martini
> 
> P.S. I found this extremely funny post that I thought represented the extreme effects of contouring on my tumblr account that is specifically dedicated to my fanfic and undertale stuff. It is called vodka-martini-blog and feel free to follow me if you'd like to know if a new chapter has been posted.  
> Anyhoo here is the link to said post: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/post/150204600438/this-is-just-like-the-reader-in-hot-for-a-teacher
> 
> And also the link to the song I referenced to is right here. It is called Deadwater by Wet: https://youtu.be/JV7ufuW0VFY


	17. Boys boys boys

_"Restless, uneasy and anxious_  
_Fingers drumming the cool surface beneath_  
_Longing to dance_  
_Moving to the beat with no rhythm_

 _Lusting to run_  
_But what are we running from?_  
_Perhaps ourselves_  
_Or the angelic chaos of this dimension_

 _Fingers running frustratedly_  
_Through already disheveled hair_  
_Soul aching to burst free_  
_But what will freedom lead to?_

 _Drowning in the tranquility of words_  
_Hitherto Eyes glassy, unfocused_  
_Overwhelmed by the racing pulse of song_  
_However dull but stuck on repeat_

 _An endless cycle_  
_Echoing constantly in full circle_  
_Losing sight of all that matters_  
_And all sense of purpose_

 _Why bother?_  
_Is there any purpose at all_  
_In the indulgence_  
_Of amateur balladry_ , _"_

You paused for a moment. "Thank you," you said into the microphone and the entire tavern broke into applause. You smiled graciously and stepped off the stage, a girl with an easel took your place and announced that she would like to discuss her latest painting and the creativity and rationale behind it. The people of the tavern were extremely interested to hear what she had to say. You walked towards the table you usually resided at and set your poetry notebook on the table and let out sigh.

"Rough times, huh?" Ragel smoothly slid beside you and handed you a cup of tea.

"You bet," you responded while blowing on the tea a little to cool it down.

"Well **__** , I'm glad you got it out of your system through your poem. You look much more at peace than you did when you came in here." Ragel gave you a pat on the back and went to serve the other artists. You took a sip of your tea and got to thinking how Ragel was right. When you got on the stage and recited your words, you felt a weight lift off your shoulders. You figured it was like letting all your emotions and pain loose, but with enigma.

"I like this place," a low voice said and you looked up and broke into a smile.

"I like it too," you told Andreas as you gestured to him to sit down across you.

"Where's Noah and Aki?" Andreas shrugged.

"Late as always," Andreas said dryly and you smiled. Those two were as thick as thieves. They were joined at the hip and as a result, always late. The metal door of the tavern creaked violently and two loud voices approached the table where you and Andreas were sitting. "Speak of the devil," you remarked as you smiled up at Noah and Aki.

"Sup Ark. Yo Sushi. Glad you two could come _EXTRA_ early today." You snickered at Andreas's nicknames for your two bandmates. It was an in joke between the guys. Aki's Japanese heritage was a source of laughter for them. And Ark, in regards towards Noah was pretty straightforward and sweet nickname. And Andreas was just Dre. For some odd reason, Aki and Noah were sometimes intimidated by him. You couldn't blame them. Andreas did have an air of secrecy and mystery about him. He was extremely witty and sassy. But he did have his brooding moments sometimes where he would retract into his thoughts.

But despite all that, Andreas was extremely kind to you and so were Aki and Noah. They went out of their way to make you feel comfortable. They even insisted you call them by their nicknames. So now Andreas was just Dre to you but you still called Noah and Aki by their actual names. Andreas felt too long and formal so you were inclined to go with Dre.

"No sweat bro," Aki responded lazily and Dre simply rolled his eyes. Noah and Aki took their places. Ragel came over and took their orders and went on his way. After the pleasantries were exchanged, Dre leant forward, his dark eyes intensely focused on the three of you.

"So guys, are you ready to get your first monthly paycheck?" The three of you looked at each other excitedly and you nodded.

Dre pulled out a worn leather notebook and a ballpoint pen. He opened it for the three of you to see. You leaned forward at stared at the figures intensely.

"Right, so we were booked for seven gigs this month. So for our hour and a half sessions we charged 900 dollars right? So the total of that is 6K and 300. But then twice we were needed overtime so we got an extra of 900. So the earning so far is 7K and 200."

Noah let out a whoop of triumph but Dre held out a hand. "Don't celebrate just yet. We need to deduct working costs." Noah slumped back in his chair and muttered something along the lines of _'buzzkill'_. Dre simply ignored him.

"Right so we booked the studio thrice this month. And the total hours we used it for is 18. And since the studio time cost 70 dollars per hour, we have to deduct a total of 1K and 50 dollars. So that is 6K and 150. Then the website. Aki?" Dre turned to his friend. "Can you show us how much was pumped into it?" Aki sat up straighter and pulled out a tattered wallet from his back pocket which Dre shot a disapproving look at. He opened it up and pulled out a square of folded paper. He rolled it out and spread it out on the table. You saw a series of numbers scrawled on it by Aki's messy handwriting.

"Right so for the domain name, we're charged 10 bucks per month. Maintainence is 600 a year so that means 50 this month. And the marketing of our site costs 750 per month." Dre nodded and started writing furiously in his own notebook.

"Right so that is a total of 810 dollars. So 6K and 150 minus the 810 is... 5K and 340. So when we split it up we each get a perfect number of 1K and 335 each."

"That's... Incredible!" You said breathlessly. Aki grinned at your awe.

"Nah **__** , this is just the beginning. We are going to get bigger." You smiled widely.

"To Lions with Wings?" You held out your cup of tea for a toast. Your bandmates gave each other knowing glances.

"To Lions with Wings," Noah said as Dre and Aki raised their glasses as well.

"And to **__** ," Dre added smilingly. The two others nodded as well.

"To Lions with Wings and to **__**!" They brought their glasses towards yours and you did a four-way toast.  
The rest of the night was followed by the allocation of cash and small chit chat between the four of you. You felt like you had known the guys for years and you felt loved and cherished...

 

* * *

 

You entered the Artisan's Tavern once again. You were still feeling the effects of the stuff you had been going through so you have been doing your best to stay in crowds and generally not being alone. But with the support of Sasha, and the unconscious ones from your monster friends had you pulling through slowly but surely. A familiar deep voice had your attention.

"what happens when you witness a shipwreck?" Sans looked at the crowd expectantly. There were murmurs but no one answered him.

"welp, you just gotta let it _sink_ in." The tavern broke out into laughter and you shook your head. Classic Sans.

"hey you know what? my bro always gets mad at me because i don't like to clean my room. so i sold my vacuum. cause' all it was doing was _collecting dust_." One of the drummers did a badum-tiss noise while the tavern erupted in laughter once again.

"Hey," you called out and all eyes about the tavern turned to you. You didn't look at anyone but Sans. Your eyes burned into his eye-sockets as you strode towards him. "Did you hear what happened to the Italian chef?" Sans' grin widened.

"no i didn't. what happened to them?"

You stepped onto the stage. "Don't tell Papyrus this, but he _pasta_ away." Sans chuckled at that and you heard an, " _oh snap_ " from someone in the crowd.

"Hey, what did the overly excited gardner do when spring finally arrived?" Sans shrugged. You turned to the crowd.

"He wet his plants!" That brought another onslaught of laughter.

"nice one, Chows," Sans said as he held out a hand for a high-five. You reciprocated.

"Wow Sans, looks like you've got competition," Ragel called out and Sans simply chuckled.

"nah they've already got me beat," he said with a smile. "welp, that's me for today. thanks **__** , for spicing up the act. you were a worthy competitor." That had a round of applause for you and you blew kisses at the crowd. You both stepped off the stage.

"Hey, do you want to chill out somewhere?" You asked Sans as you pointed to the exit of the tavern. He nodded and the two of you set off after bidding Ragel goodbye. The chill of the night was extremely welcoming and for the moment you both simply walked beside each other in silence.

"I didn't know you went to the tavern to do stand up,' you broke the spell as you stared expectantly at the skeleton beside you.

"i used to perform at MTT Resort all the time."

"Wait MTT?"

"Mettaton," he said and you nodded . "anyway i missed performing so i figured the Artisan's Tavern was the best place to do my stand up."

"How does it feel? Doing stand up again?" Sans smiled.

"it feels great doing it again. it almost feels like nothing has changed, ya know?" You nodded.

You fell into step with him and the sound of your footsteps were the only thing penetrating the silence. "so," Sans started. "i'm glad to see you looking like your old self again." You looked sheepish.

"Yeah," you let out an awkward laugh. "I'm sorry about that." Sans waved you off.

"nah don't worry 'bout it. we just wanted you and no one else."

"I just didn't want to look like myself because... I guess I just didn't." Your eyes fell to your shoes, trying to keep the details to a minimum. You felt a bump on your shoulder and turned to a grinning Sans.

"well, we want you to look like yourself so do it for us next time, ok?" You smiled back at him.

"Okay."

You both simply walked on the side of the pavement in silence once again, taking in the surroundings rather than each other. The night was relatively calm, other than the sound of music coming from one of the bars. You tapped your fingers on your thigh to the beat, enjoying the moment.

"you know that you're not alone, right?" You stared at the relaxed skeleton in confusion.

"What?"

"i said you're not alone. you might not believe me, but there are people looking out for you." You simply stayed quiet. Sans wondered what was up with your silence.

"Me too," you said, breaking the spell.

"what?"

"I'm looking out for you too," you said simply and Sans chuckled.

"well, you're not gonna get very far, Chows. there's nothing to find." You hummed at that thoughtfully.

"Have you heard of the term, _gallows humour_?" Sans shook his head, indicating he hadn't.

"Well, it means to make use of humor to treat serious subject matter in a light way."

"right, okay. what's that got to do with anything?" He had no idea where you were going with the whole gallows humour thing but he was fascinated nonetheless.

"Well, gallows humour acts as an expression of hope that has the power to soothe suffering. And well, the comic that you are had always given me the impression that you use humour as a weapon or a defense mechanism or something." You stopped in your tracks and turned towards him. You reached out and placed the palm of your hand against the side of his skull. Your eyes had a soft look to them.

"I see you all the time, wearing that consistent grin all the time. Sometimes when I look at you, it just seems almost like a mask. And I guess all I wanted to say was, you don't have to hide behind laughter or a mask. You need to allow yourself to let go sometimes. And I wouldn't judge you, ever, if you let go."

Sans stared at you, stunned. The way you understood him and the conflict he faced had alway unnerved him. He could understand why you were able to relate, considering the fact that from your poem Stygian Melancholia it showed well enough that you have been through something in your life. But that was back when you were seventeen. But he could never understood what gave him away to you. He closely observed you and constantly thought back to your poem. It seemed like you had grown from that period in your life but he couldn't entirely be certain. But the way you were looking at him, sincerely and kindly made his soul thrum with tenderness.

"i'll keep that in mind. thanks Chows."

"No problem," you responded, smiling at Sans's expression of surprise and gratefulness.

You both started to walk forward into the night, knowing that either of you had a friend you could trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first things first this chapter is sort of inspired by something one of my readers mentioned. They told me that the reader is too obviously perceptive of Sans's depression and stuff to the point where it was almost unrealistic. I actually told them it did not strike me as odd because as a person, I tended to understand and sympathize with people all the time so psychoanalysis wasn't hard for me. But I guess this chapter kinda shed some light on how the reader could pick up on the hints of Sans's depression because I would like the fic to be as realistic as possible. Anyhoo I guess that is all I have to offer for today! (And fun fact it was my birthday the day I posted this too :)  
> -Vodka_martini


	18. Merry beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***IMPORTANT MESSAGE AHEAD PLEASE READ***
> 
> 1\. Right, so one of my lovely readers had pointed out how I initially started out by addressing the reader with female pronouns but then I suddenly swapped to gender-neutral pronouns. Well, I corrected my mistake and want to establish that the reader is in fact female. So yeah just wanted to let y'all know that the inconsistency has been corrected and just wanted to establish the fact.
> 
> 2\. So my chapter is called 'Merry beginnings', which implies Christmas! Yayyy. And since this fic has a lot of music references, the song I used in this chapter may or may not cause some disagreement or offence. See, the Christmas song I used is a song of the Christian faith. Where like Jesus's birth and the Virgin Mary is directly mentioned. So I want to just state that I do not intend to be problematic by using a Christmas carol of the Christian faith. As you get to that portion, you will see why I selected that song in particular. So I want to state that I do not intend to be problematic or religionist. There is a rhyme and reason and an important reason to that decision. So please do not take any offence to it.
> 
> Anyhoo, enough waffle let's get on with this!

"I'm going back home this break," Sasha announced while handing you a tube of Pringles.

"Okay sure. How long are you gonna be gone for?"

"Until the semester starts again." Sasha looked extremely excited to get back home to her family and her excitement was almost contagious.

"Okay have fun. It'll be nice to be back with your family again." You sounded wistful and Sasha caught onto your change in mood. She wrapped an arm around your shoulder.

"You sure you don't want to come home with me and spend Christmas with my folks? My parents would be thrilled if you could join us. They've always loved you." You shook your head, rejecting her kind offer.

"Shay, you know I can't go back home. It's too dangerous. Who knows what could happen if anyone finds out I'm back in town."

"And," you added. "I don't think I want to go back home either. I can't bring myself to go back there. Too many bad memories. Too many dangers." Sasha nodded. You were completely right. But still, it was extremely sad to know that you couldn't see the ones you loved.

"Oh well, at least you've got the monsters here at Ebott to keep you company." You immediately brightened.

"Oh yeah! I bet spending the holidays with them would be fantastic!" Sasha smiled, glad to have managed to improve your mood.

She was glad that before she could break off, the two of you had managed to spend some much needed time with each other. You both had a great time, sleeping over at your lovely apartment and just doing girl stuff. It was wonderful. It reminded her of why you two were so close. Sasha was always the kind of person to want to take care of those in need and give them the support they need. That had backfired on her several times but she refused to change. You were one of those people she had the burning desire to take care of. She remembered the shy ten year old you were, standing back and reading a book while the other kids played. She thought back to how the two of you became friends...

 

* * *

 

_It was a cloudy day. Sasha found herself clutching the encyclopedia her grade ten science teacher had given her with glee. She knew that science was her calling the moment her parents had placed one of those dangler things of the solar system over her crib. She walked about, a spring in her step and in a daydream about the possibilities the world held that was left undiscovered. She didn't realize living in a daydream was dangerous until she barreled into the back of another student. They fell forward onto the ground and Sasha gasped. She ran over to them and helped them up._

_"Oh gosh, are you okay? I'm sorry I wasn't looking where I was going." She looked up and down at the student and found herself staring at a girl she had seen wandering about the halls a couple of times but hadn't had an opportunity to interact with. She waved her off._

_"It's no problem. I was probably walking too slowly because I was looking at my book as I was walking..." She trailed off and started looking about the floor in front of her. "Um, where did it go?" Sasha glanced past her and found it across the floor, a little way past where she was standing. Sasha went over to it and picked it up._

_"Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lightning Thief." Sasha said aloud as she looked at the book. She quickly read through the blurb and found herself intrigued. She looked up to see the girl standing by patiently, waiting for her to be done with her book. "I'm sorry, here you go." Sasha handed her back the back which she took back with a smile. She wore braces._

_"Your book looks really interesting," Sasha remarked, stepping closer to her._

_"Yeah it is. It's one of my favourites. It's my seventh time reading it."_

_"Seventh?!" Sasha exclaimed. The girl nodded._

_"Well I could lend it to you if you want," she offered but Sasha shook her head._

_"No thanks. I want to read this first." Sasha held up her encyclopedia for the girl to see. She squinted her eyes._

_"What's that?" She asked. Sasha's eyes lit up in excitement. Finally she had someone to vent to about how much she was looking forward to read up and gain new forms of scientific knowledge. She bounced up and down eagerly on the balls of her feet and began to prattle on at lightning speed about what the encylopedia contained and what it discusses. She opened the book for the girl to look at the colourful diagrams and pictures._

_"Do you know what metamorphorsis is?" The girl shook her head, indicating she hadn't. Sasha gasped and flipped through the book franticaly, trying to relocate the chapter describing the process. She multitasked while doing so by explaining what the basic premise and concept was._

_"You know how weird it is for a catterpillar to turn into a butterfly? That is called metamorphorsis. When the catterpillar stops eating after growing for a while, they go onto a twig of a tree and spin themselves in a silky kind of cocoon. It's called a chrysalis."_

_"That's a pretty word," the girl commented and Sasha had to agree._

_"It is but then, in the chrysalis thing, the catterpillar starts to kill itself."_

_"Kill itself?!" The girl looked extremely shocked and Sasha held out her hands to placate her._

_"Hang on it's not that bad! Once the catterpillar has 'died', it uses something like a soup in the chrysalis to turn itself into a butterfly. Neat isn't it?" She looked up to see the girl smiling at her._

_"Could you show me more?" Sasha seemed more than happy to indulge her request. She pointed to the colourful pictures in the book to show her the concept in more detail. The girl wasn't exactly listening to her. She was observing the way she was eagerly pouring out the love and passion she had presumably for science. She was observing the way her finger moved over the pages daintily and the amazement in her eyes. The girl knew immediatly she liked her and had a feeling that she would be enjoying her company often in the near future. She did not know that Sasha secretly shared her sentiment as well..._

 

* * *

 

It was a fond memory. It always reminded Sasha about how you were one of the few people to listen to excited science psychobabbles. Her parents were both surgeons which had them extremely busy and not devoting time to her. You were one of the few people who kept her love for science alive.

The memory had always reminded you of how the unexpected things, such as someone slamming into you can result in something wonderful. Or terrible, give or take. You've undergone both sides of the spectrum so you knew all to well how the unexpected can turn your life around. Meeting Sasha was one of the wonderful things. You felt it would be a shame to have her not spend the holidays with you, not after how busy the two of you had gotten...

 

* * *

 

You were walking out of the train station with your face buried into your scarf. You had seen Sasha off and began to head your way home. December had blown onto the scene with a chilling gust of wind and weather. It wasn't very enjoyable to you. You loved the rain but you didn't really enjoy the cold weather much. As long as you were wrapped in layers and layers it was bearable. But you simply hated snow.

Well, hate wasn't exactly the right word. Strongly disliked suited your feelings towards snow a little more. You felt your phone buzz and pulled it out of your pocket to find a text from Undyne.

Undyne: _Hey punk! We're all heading to the town square to watch them put up the Christmas decorations and the tree tonight! Everyone's asking if you wanted to come!_

You pondered on her request for a moment. You were extremely flattered by the fact that the monsters were eager to have you join them in an outing. At that point, they viewed you as family. They constantly invited you for outings as well as lunch or dinner. They practically adored you and enjoyed your company greatly. You returned the sentiment but sometimes you feared you were intruding in their private moments. But maybe watching people put up decorations would be a load of fun so you decided to accept the offer.

xxxxxx: _Sure! What time do you want me to be there?_  
Undyne: _About_ _7-ish. Don't be late!!!!!_  
xxxxxx: _Not a chance! See y'all tonight!_

You wondered if Sans was planning to watch the decoration placement with the rest of you tonight. So you decided to ask him for yourself.

Chows: _Hey buddy!_  
Saaaaaaans: _sup._

Chows: _Undyne just  texted me. She invited me to watch the decorations being put up for Christmas tonight! Are you going as well?_  
Saaaaaaans: _yep. Paps, Tori, Frisk, Alphys and Asgore are gonna come with us tonight._

You couldn't help but get excited at the prospect of the events tonight entailed.

Chows: _Sounds awesome! Can't wait to be there :)_

_Saaaaaaans is typing..._

Saaaaaaans: _it's better already now that you're coming._

You smiled. He was too kind. You adored your monster friends a lot. Your friendship was tight with all of them, but Sans and Asgore were the ones that had a special place in your heart. Whenever they were part of a crowd with the other monsters, you felt a little more happy than you would without them. It was nothing against the monsters. It was simply that Asgore and Sans were the ones you interracted with the most and were the ones you were closest to. Your relationship with Undyne, Toriel, Frisk and Alphys was growing and you are fast friends with them. But not to the extent of Asgore and Sans.

Chows: _Yayyy! See you tonight!_  
Saaaaaaans: _see ya._

You smiled and set your phone away, picking up the pace. You checked the time and found that it was 5pm. You only had two hours to head to town square and you knew you had to hurry. You wished the train station wouldn't be located at the very edge of Ebott Town but you didn't regret dropping off your best friend. You just barely managed to hop onto the bus before the doors shut. You rested your forehead against the window pane to still your racing heart. You figured it would be about an hour till you reached the town square so you decided to pull out a notebook and write to kill some time.

 

* * *

 

A loud "NYEH HEH HEH" had caught your attention and you found yourself making your way towards your monster friends. Frisk had noticed you first.

" **__**!" They pulled your legs into a hug and you ruffled their hair. You granted everyone in the group a hello.

"So what are we doing today?" Papyrus stepped forward at your enquiry.

"HUMAN **__**! WE ARE WATCHING THE TOWN SQUARE BE DECORATED AS WE HAVE HEARD THAT THIS IS THE PRIME AREA OF FESTIVITIES!!!"

You nodded. Town square was the center of all of Ebott Town. Town square was landmarked by a large statue of a majestic golden angel that was about six meters in height and spread wingspan. Surrounding the statue was the post office of red brick that was over a hundred years old, with a small bell tower. A recently constructed shopping mall constituted as it's neighbour. It was an interesting fusion of olden and modern history. You appreciated it very much. During every festivity, it would be decorated. During Valentine's Day, you remember them having put a flower crown on the top of the angel's head and they had it hold Cupid's bows. During St Patrick's day, people had also pasted a fake red beard on the angel and attempted to have it wear a green waistcoat. Those were a couple of examples of humorous ways the people of Ebott Town entered the festive seasons. You were glad the Monsters enjoyed the sense of humour the human residents of Ebott Town had displayed and that the it got the Monsters excited for festivities that they had never heard or experienced.

You heard a slew of voices approaching from the distance and them growing closer and closer. You heard the revving of an engine and saw a tall fire truck with a gigantic Christmas tree bound to the top of it. You all watched as it screeched to a halt in front of the angel statue as a group of burly men hopped out of the fire truck and cut the ropes off the tree. They set it upright on the ground.

"It's just as big as the angel!" Frisk exclaimed. More voices came about and you saw more people come about, lugging boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations for the giant tree. You suddenly had an idea. You placed two fingers into your mouth and let out a high pitched whistle. It rang across the square and operations halted as eyes turned to you.

"Hey," you called out loudly. "Could we help y'all decorate?" You turned to your Monster friends, seeking their approval. Their eyes lit up in excitement and Papyrus and Frisk bounced up and down on their feet. One of the men smiled.

"Sure we could use more hands." You let an excited whoop and you excitedly rushed towards them, your friends in your wake.

 

* * *

 

Without yours and your Monster friends' help, it was definitely conceded that the tree would not have been built that quickly or efficiently. Undyne basically carried five boxes of decorations with ease, while Asgore, yourself and Toriel managed to handle a hefty two boxes. Alphys, Frisk and Papyrus worked with the other humans to start from the bottom by slowly wrapping the Christmas lights about the tree. Asgore used his considerable height to handle the upper portions of the bottom of the tree. But eventually, they had to break out the ladder from the fireman's truck and several others stored within it. You worked about the side, meticulously hanging ornaments and sorting them by colours that was quickly agreed upon by those who had taken duty of the ornament hanging. It was an incredible feeling. All of you working in unison, not much being spoken but generally laughing heartily and wildly when anything mildly amusing occurred. Even something as simple as Papyrus getting tangled in lights had you in fits.

Sans, however, did not help the situation; literally and figuratively. He simply stood to the side with his hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie, watching all of you work with a lazy grin. After a while he started calling out Christmas puns.

"hey Paps, what would you get if you ate the Christmas decorations?" Papyrus momentarily stopped working and pondered over his question.

"I DO NOT KNOW BROTHER! WHAT WOULD YOU GET?"

" _tinselitis_ ," Sans deadpanned and that lead to Papyrus to stomp his foot in indignition while the rest of you laughed hard.

Five minutes later, Sans asked, " hey Paps,  what do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?"

"SANS IF THIS IS ONE OF YOUR AWFUL PUNS I WILL-"

" _claustrophobic_!"

"NYEEEEEHHHH," Papyrus screamed while all of you howled with laughter. You clutched your belly while holding onto Asgore to steady you.

"what do reindeer use to decorate their Christmas trees? – _horn-aments_!"

"what do you get when you cross a Christmas tree with an apple? – a _pineapple_!"

And those were the kind of jokes he procured, enraging Papyrus more and more with each one. Tears were streaming down your face in laughter. Before Papyrus could punch Sans in the face, you attempted to salvage the situation. "Oh Sans, come on and help us you lazybones instead of punning." He shrugged.

"too much effort," he drawled. You raised your eyebrows and stared him down until he finally admitted defeat.

"ok ok fine." His right glowed a mix of cyan and yellow and you noticed several of the ornaments get bathed in blue light and rising out of the boxes and flying towards the tree, landing on the branches. Your mouth dropped open and the others gasped as well.

"Oh my god you have psychokinesis?! Why didn't you use it in the first place?!" Sans shrugged at your demand.

"you never asked," he replied simply and you growled in annoyance. One of the men helping out stepped forward.

"Hey, skele-dude that's perfect! We need another hand working with us to set the decorations towards the top of the tree. How about it?" Sans agreed immediately.

As soon as Sans's psychokinesis was put into use, him and Undyne decreased the labour hours tenfold. Undyne lobbed some of the ornaments with ridiculous precision where it landed on the top branches of the tree.

Soon, the tree was done. All of you stepped back and gasped at how incredible it look. "NGAAAAAAH We did it!" Undyne cried as she pumped her fist in the air. You noticed an awkward silence fall across the crowd, now that your symbiosis was over. You had an idea.

"Hey everyone!" You pulled Sans in front of you. He looked confused. "This is Sans over here, MVP of today. Since he made our job a lot easier, how about we dedicate a song to him and our other monster pals who were kind enough to  help us today?" There was a murmur of agreement between the humans. You smiled.

"Let's sing _Sans Day Carol_!" The other monsters chuckled while Sans blushed blue. You cleared your throat.

" _Now the holly bears a berry as white as the milk,_  
_And Mary she bore Jesus, who was wrapped up in silk._ "

Your voice rang across the square, loud and clear. Just as you were about to move into the chorus, you gestured to have the humans sing with you. 

" _And Mary she bore Jesus our Saviour for to be,_  
_And the first tree that's in the greenwood, it was the holly._  
_Holly! Holly! Holly!_  
_And the first tree that's in the greenwood, it was the holly!_ "

All of you sang in unison while smiling at the monsters. Your monster friends looked extremely bashful at the honour they were recieving.

" _Now the holly bears a berry as green as the grass,_  
_And Mary she bore Jesus, who died on the cross._ "

And you had an idea. You grabbed one of you fellow singers' hands and with your other Sans's as well. They stared at you confused.

"Come on join hands everyone!"

" _And Mary she bore Jesus our Saviour for to be,_  
_And the first tree that's in the greenwood, it was the holly._  
_Holly! Holly! Holly!_  
_And the first tree that's in the greenwood, it was the holly!_ "

Soon, monsters and humans were in a big circle, swaying together to the song. Even though the monsters did not know the words, the still hummed to the tune.

" _Now the holly bears a berry as black as the coal,_  
_And Mary she bore Jesus, who died for us all._ "

You looked around at everyone and observed how happy they all looked. In that moment, there was no segregation of race. There was no humans or monsters. It was just people. People celebrating the festive season together. It was a wonderful feeling. You looked to your right and made eye contact with Sans. You smiled at each other and he squeezed your hand affectionately.

" _And Mary she bore Jesus our Saviour for to be,_  
_And the first tree that's in the greenwood, it was the holly._  
_Holly! Holly! Holly!_  
_And the first tree that's in the greenwood, it was the holly!_

 _Now the holly bears a berry, as blood is it red,_  
_Then trust we our Saviour, who rose from the dead."_

You looked about the crowd around you, feeling warm at the happiness and unity that radiated from everyone. That week, you were feeling a foreboding sense of loneliness when Sasha told you that she was going home for Christmas and when you realized you couldn't go home EVER again. But looking all around you, you saw individuals who loved and cared about you greatly and who made you happy. The thought of spending the holiday with your monster friends filled you with a burst of happiness you couldn't describe. So with a boost in morale and confidence, you raised your head up to the sky and sang with as much gusto and passion you could muster:

" _And Mary she bore Jesus our Saviour for to be,_  
_And the first tree that's in the greenwood, it was the holly._  
_Holly! Holly! Holly!_  
_And the first tree that's in the greenwood, it was the holly!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... yeah now do you see why I picked that song in particular? Sans Day Carol hee hee. So I hope you all understand once again that I did not intend to be problematic at all.  
> The link to Sans Day Carol is right here: https://youtu.be/pMy71QMe7WI
> 
> The link to it will also be found on my tumblr so feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting references I make in my fics, informing you of new chapter updates and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/
> 
> -Vodka_martini


	19. Even Christmas, Odd Soul

Great. The white shit had started to fall from the sky. You weren't at all happy with the weather.

' _Damn you snow_ ,' you thought to yourself with annoyance. You were bundled up in layers and layers and yet you were still cold. You honestly wished you could be home, curled up in your bed illegally streaming Rick and Morty while indulging in a warm drink but unfortunately, you agreed to leave your house due to an invite from your monster friends.

They wanted you to come to the park and play in the snow. It sounded like fun so you couldn't resist. As you headed towards the park, you caught sight of Papyrus chasing after Frisk with snow plastered on his skull. You chuckled. You assumed that they had pelted the skeleton with snowballs. You craned your neck and spotted Sans leaning against a thin, leafless tree with snow on its branches. You smiled and approached him.

"Hey," you said.

"hey," he responded lazily, closing his eye sockets. You rolled your eyes. You then forcefully hip-bumped the skinny tree, causing the snow to fall off the branches and onto the lazy skeleton's skull. Sans's eye sockets shot open and his eye lights flicked up to his skull.

"what was that for?" He asked as he rubbed the snow off his skull. You grinned.

"That's to get you up and going. Come on let's join the others!" He didn't get a chance to respond as you grabbed his wrist and dragged him into the fray.

"Hey punk!" Undyne cried as she spotted you. She bounded over to you and gave you a quick noogie while you gave her a brief hug.

"Are you guys having a snowball fight?" You craned your neck to see Frisk hiding behind Undyne's legs and putting a finger to their lips. You heard a "NYEEEHHH" of frustration and yourself and Sans turned to an incredibly vexed Papyrus stamping his foot on the snowy ground, looking for his assailant.

"TINY HUMAN! WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?! I SHALL FIGHT YOU IN RETAILIATION TO YOUR SNEAK ATTACK!" You turned around and winked at Frisk and grabbed a handful of snow and smushed it into the size of a ball. You cocked your arm and hit Papyrus square in the back with it.

"Oops," you said with a grin.

"THIS DECLARES WAR!" Papyrus cried and sent two armfuls of snow your way. You squealed and hid behind Undyne which resulted in her getting pelted in the face with a ton of snow.

"NGAAAAH WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" Undyne sounded furious.

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT! THE TWO HUMANS MADE ME DO IT!" Undyne turned around slowly to the two humans huddling close to each other with guilty looks on their faces.

"MONSTERS AGAINST HUMANS!" Undyne screeched and started gathering snowballs in her arms. You and Frisk screamed and ran for cover. Frisk took shleter behind a tree while you took shelter behind Papyrus which resulted in him being pelted by a snowball once again. You reached down and grabbed two snowballs, threw one over Papyrus's shoulder into Undyne's stomach and reached up with your other arm to dump a pile of snow onto his skull.

While they were caught off guard Frisk and yourself met together and took prey of each monster. Frisk took on Papyrus and you took on Undyne. You kind of regretted crossing her because her aim was stellar and you barely dodged them. You quickly grabbed a handful of snow and lobbed it wildly but missed and hit Sans square in the face instead. Time slowed and he swiped the snow off his face with the back of his hand, revealing an evil grin.

"you crossed the wrong skeleton, Chows." He flicked his wrist and you found an arsenal of about 20 snowballs coming straight your way. You did not have any time to react. You found yourself on your back in the middle of the snowfield, staring at the blue sky above. You heard shuffling and saw Sans and his shit eating grin looming over you. You narrowed your eyes at him. He knelt down to face you.

"ready to apologize?" You furrowed your brows, looking as though you were considering his statement. Then you shook your head.

"Never," you whispered and scrunched your hands into the snow. You then slammed the fistfuls of snow accumulated in both of your hands against either side of his skull. He fell on his skeleton butt in surprise and you rolled away from him and jumped to your feet. You were always agile and quick on your feet, despite your supposedly lazy demeanor. You looked over to Frisk, Undyne and Papyrus and fisted the air.

"Well, what are ya'll waiting for? CHARGE!" You cried out and each of you let out your own battle cries and charged at Sans.

"NGAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"NYEH HEH HEH!"

"WOOHOO!"

"FOR NARNIA!" You cried as you attempted to bury him under a pile of snow while the others followed your lead. All of you stepped back and admired your handiwork. All that was left of Sans were his fluffy pink house slippers. The rest of him was buried under layers of snow. You knelt down beside the unmoving pile of snow.

"Ready to apologize?" You mimicked his previous delivery of his statement. You heard a muffled, "ok," in response. It was good enough for you.

"Alright, victory is ours! Let's let him out." The four of you hauled him out of the snow. You playfully patted the snow off his skull and he rolled his eye lights at you.

"I'm guessing you had a good time?" The five of you turned to find Toriel and Alphys holding bags of supposed groceries. Frisk squealed and hugged Toriel's legs while Undyne grabbed Alphys and planted a kiss into her hair. Toriel chuckled.

"Well that answers the question," she responded with a smile. "I hope you haven't had too much fun, because Christmas isn't upon us yet."

"Oh crap Christmas!" You completely forgot that Christmas was five days away and you hadn't even thought of what presents to get your friends. "Gotta dash!" You booked it out of there, leaving your monster friends mildly confused.

 

* * *

 

Even though Christmas was only four days away, the mall was swarming with anxious shoppers. You were proud to admit you were one of them. After you left the park, you pretty much sat down with your laptop, a pen and paper and your utmost concetration to figure out who you wanted to give gifts to and what you can potentially get them. You pretty much used up all of your braincells on figuring it out because you had a LOT of people to get gifts for. Christmas was forever a materialistic and expensive holiday, but you never had any issues with it be it protest or finance. But you felt more at ease as you finally gathered your presents and began to strategize how you were going to delegate the rest of your days up until Christmas to give the gifts to your friends.

 

* * *

 

_On the third day to Christmas you invited your band mates over..._

The four of you had agreed to take a break for two weeks during the holiday season but you invited them over to your place to pass them their presents. You started off with Dre. You handed him a rectangular box. He wasted no time in opening your present and was delighted to hold up a pair of engraved mallets with rubber padding on the ends. Dre always managed to bruise his hands when he got too into your performances so you figured you'd get him something that would spare his hands when he was playing the cajón. He thanked you profusely.

Noah was next. You gave him a tiny square box which had him give you a suspicious look as he compared the size of his box to Dre's opened one. Yourself, Dre and Aki shook your heads at Noah's childish behaviour. But it was Noah so you weren't surprised. He looked extremely happy to find himself holding a black rosewood guitar pick with the bat symbol carved into it. It had a hole on the top right corner of it and you pulled out a silver chain and handed it to him as a bonus. You decided to get him specifically that as he was a huge Batman fan and seemed to accessorize with only guitar picks. He almost crushed your ribs with the force of his hug.

Last but not least, you presented you gift to Aki. He opened his present to be greeted with a new navy keytar strap with his name stitched into it in big, gold letters. You noticed how worn Aki's keytar straps were and how close it was to ripping apart but it didn't seem to bother him. It bothered you though and you were glad you managed to custom produce it in his favourite colour scheme.

"You know, we didn't forget about you, __," Dre said with a smug smirk. You stared at him, confused. Noah pulled out a large rectangular box from his backpack and handed it to you. You felt incredibly touched.

"Aww guys, you shouldn't have." The present was sloppily wrapped but you didn't mind. You opened the box to find yourself looking at the back of an embroidered jacket. However, it was embroidered with a sketch version of a group picture of the four of you and your name was written under the sketch version of the image. It was such a thoughtful gift and your heart felt like it was about to burst.

"Thank you," you choked out as you pulled the three of them into a hug. You loved your boys and they loved you. And they were not afraid to show their appreciation for you.

 

* * *

 

_On the second day to Christmas you paid a visit to Ragel, Burgerpants and the Temmies..._

The Artisan's Tavern was pretty empty due to the Christmas holidays, but unfortuanely Ragel had to keep working. He greeted you with a smile when you entered.

"__, it's wonderful to see you. How have you been?" He asked warmly.

"I'm fine," you responded with a smile.

"Would you like a drink while you sit down and write?"

"Actually no," you started. "I'm not here to write today. I actually want to give you a Christmas present." You handed him a box that was wrapped prettily. Ragel's eyes lit up.

"__, I don't know what to say..."

"How about thank you?" You replied cheekily and he laughed. He set the wrapper aside and looked delighted to be greeted with a bright red beret.

"Well all those stereotypes of artists are always shown to be wearing the french style beret so I figured it would reflect your personality..." You didn't know why you were rambling and trying to justify the reason for your choice of gift. Maybe it was because you were scared that Ragel wouldn't understand the reference or maybe because-

Your racing thoughts and panic was silenced by a pair of skinny arms wrapping around you.

"It is wonderful, __. That was extremely thoughtful of you. Thank you." Some of your nervousness was relieved and you hugged him back.

"No problem."

After some more chit-chat, it was time for you to leave. Ragel watched your retreating back with a smile. He couldn't believe how kind you were. No one has ever paid him much attention to him, until you came along and he was glad to be lucky to be acquainted with you.

Your next stop was the fast-food restaurant Burgerpants worked at. He pretty much hated his job. He tried to get hired for an acting gig but was rejected every time. He finally gave up and signed up to work at the fast-food restaurant because he had past experience back in the Underground.

You stepped into the restaurant and caught his eye by giving him a quick wave. You mouthed the words ' _back alley_ ' and he nodded curtly in response. You walked out of the restaurant and went around the back alley and stood in front of a metal door. You mostly hung out with Burgerpants at the back alley during his break hours or once the restaurant closed.

The metal door creaked open and out stepped Burgerpants.

"Hey," you greeted warmly. "How's shift today?" You asked as you sat on the steps and patted the ground beside you.

"Doesn't totally suck. Not many freaks today." He said as he sat down beside you and you shook your head at his statement. When he said freaks, he meant those ungrateful and incredibly rude customers.

"You're also not smelling like pot today," you commented. "You've stopped?" Burgerpants snorted.

"Nah I hit myself up at night. Daytime affects my quality of work and my boss yells at me." You gave him a pitying look. It seemed unlikely he would stop smoking weed any time soon, so you did your best to try and talk him out of it as well as take care of him when he was high so he wouldn't get into any trouble. You got him through a couple of close shaves with the law but all you wanted for him was to stop. You've first hand seen how drugs can wreck a being's life and you didn't want to see Burgerpants go down that road.

"So what's in that big bag you're holding?" Burgerpants asked and you snapped back to attention.

"Huh what? Oh, that. Yeah I'm giving my buddies their Christmas presents early, in case I'm caught up on Christmas Day. And speaking of buddies..." You pulled out a present from the top of the bag. Burgerpants looked extremely surprised to see that you've gotten him a present. He gingerly ripped open the package to be greeted by a pink shirt with the words, ' _I can't go to hell_... _I'm all out of vacation days,'_ on it.

That statement was the catalyst to your friendship with Burgerpants. The first time you met him, you were feeling peckish that day and stepped into the restaurant. The queue was long and you a shrilly voice had your attention.

"I mentioned CLEARLY that I did not want french fries! I wanted your organic sweet potato fries! What kind of employee are you?" You peered over to see a woman stomping her foot angrily, pointing an accusatory finger at an orange cat-like monster. He sighed.

"Ma'am we do not sell sweet potato fries. You did not state that. If you are unsatisfied you may leave the restaurant." The monster's voice was monotonous, as though that monologue had been repeated many times.

"Go to hell!" The woman exclaimed and he shook his head.

"I can't go to hell... I'm all out of vacation days," he responded sounding a little bored and you couldn't help the snorts that escaped your mouth. Some of the customers turned to stare at you but you didn't care. When you got to the front of the line, you shot the monster a grin.

"That was a pretty clever response," you commented while shooting him a thumbs up. The monster shrugged.

"Well I really don't have vacation days and honesty is the best policy." You laughed at that.

"I like you," you said as you collected your order and waved him goodbye as you left the restaurant. You ran into him the next day when you were walking home in the evening after a late college class when you passed by the restaurant. Burgerpants appeared to be closing up and you approached him.

"Hey," you had told him. He looked up at you.

"You were the nice person from yesterday," he commented and you nodded.

"Yup."

You two had stood around, not knowing what to say next. So you both promptly left.

And after a few more random encounters and interesting conversations, you exchanged numbers and became decent friends.

"Thank you," he told you with genuine happiness in his eyes. He surprised you by giving you a hug. He was not a touchy person so his affection was a rarity. You hugged him back.

"No problem." You then had to inform him that you had to make your way to Temmie Village which was a long ways away. So he bid you goodbye and you took the bus to Temmie Village.

It took you a second to process the bright blue grass but you managed rather well. A Temmie took your dollar bill from you, as always and you sat down in the middle of them.

"hOI!!!!!! i'm tEMMIE!!"

"hOI!!!!!! i'm tEMMIE!!"

"hOI!!!!!! i'm tEMMIE!!

"Hello there, __. It is a pleasure to see you." You smiled warmly at Bob.

"Same to you too!"

"So what brings you here?" He asked and the Temmies reinforced his question with a "fhsdhjfdsfjsddshjfsd".

"Well, as you guys know Christmas is coming up and I got you guys Christmas gifts."

Your eardrums almost burst with the squeals of excitement that erupted from the Temmies.

"niSe hoOMman gots us gifts?? haAAaaaaWwW!!!" You chuckled, charmed despite being almost deaf.

"Yeah I bought you guys ugly christmas sweaters-" Immediately the bag was snatched off your shoulders and the Temmies practically ravaged it. When they put the ugly sweaters on, you could not help but gush at the sight. It was too adorable to behold.

"awwAwa cute!!" One of the Temmies squealed as it moved in circles, admiring the sweater.

"It is a very thoughtful gift. I like it very much. Thank you __." Bob nudged you gently and you smiled back. You stepped back and watched the Temmies run around in their little sweaters with bright smiles on their faces. You had caused those smiles to appear. And that knowledge gave you the greatest satisfaction that you could ever feel.

 

* * *

 

_On one day to Christmas you gifted Sasha's mailbox and Asgore..._

You honestly wished you could give your present to Sasha in person. You wanted to savour the look on her face when she opened your gift. A hot pink sports bra with a Nars Eyeshadow pallet. You knew she would flip. But unfortunately, you had to be contented with the groan of her mailbox.

Asgore, however, had a nicer reaction to yout gift as compared to Sasha's mailbox. You had given him a brand new set of gardening tools as you had noticed that his were starting to get rusty. You wanted to prevent him from getting tetanus but you were not all too sure if monsters would get infected or affected by diseases humans were susceptible too but you did not want to take the chance. You even threw him a box of apple tea that you had tried recently and taken quite the shine too. You blamed Asgore for the your new infatuation with tea. Asgore himself seemed to be delighted with your present.

"Thank you, my dear. That is incredibly kind of you and I am quite certain I will enjoy this."

"It won't just be you enjoying it," you said with a grin as you brandished another set of tools you had purchased for yourself. "So we can work together," you explained and his eyes lit up.

"That sounds very exciting! I look forward to our future meetings." You beamed. Asgore seemed to be a very lonely and sad man. He seemed like all he wanted was a friend and company. With Toriel and him on civil but not entirely pleasant terms, not many came to visit him as many of the monsters were rather close to Toriel, with the exception of Undyne and Alphys.

Sans had told you many of the monsters had really liked Asgore as he was known to be incredibly accomodating and friendly to all the monsters. He would simply walk about the Underground and greet everbody. Sans explained that as the Underground was a small community, many of the monsters were bored and had nothing much to do. But now that they were on the surface, they had all went about their lives and had things to do, so they had no time on their hands to think about Asgore. It sounded awful, but it made sense. So you did your best to take care of him and just be a pal. Everybody needed somebody and you just wanted to be kind and nice. You had to be kind and nice. You needed to be kind and nice. Or you could not live with yourself...

 

* * *

  

_On Christmas day..._

"Merry Christmas!" You cried as you busted through the front door of Toriel and Frisk's door. Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Sans, Frisk and Toriel almost jumped out of their bones, scales, scales, bones, skin and fur respectively. They turned to you and Papyrus jumped to his feet excitedly.

"WOWIE!!! IS THAT SANTA?!" You chuckled. You were wearing a Santa Claus onesie with a hat, a fake beard and a large red sack which contained their presents.

"Nope!" You cried as you ripped off your beard and hat, letting your hair loose revealing it was you the whole time. Papyrus gasped in shock while the others laughed at the scene. You proceeded to put the cap and beard back on.

"Hey guys! Merry Christmas!" You said as you sat down on the ground with them. The other monsters and Frisk parroted you festive wishes. You then informed them that you got them presents which had them surprised, except for Frisk.

"Oh o-okay. Usually we get gifts from Santa but don't give e-each other gifts," Alphys said. You waved your hand dismissively.

"Well, in the surface we get gifts from both Santa and each other. So what are you waiting for? Go wild." You distributed your gifts to your friends and awaited their reactions eagerly.

Unsurprisingly, they all loved their gifts. You bought Toriel a recipe book which contained fifty different recipes which involved snails, to which she was delighted but you noticed Frisk wrinkling their nose unappreciatively. You laughed. You ruffled their hair and assured them that the recipes were pretty decent. They looked doubtful but nodded.

Undyne received a pair of bright red sports trainers which she got extremely excited about. You weren't exactly sure if she would appreciate them but you took a stab at it. The way you acquired her shoe size was odd. You pretended to bitch about someone's shoes smelling and made up a stereotype about people with larger feet having smellier feet as well. It wasn't true but you figured it was worth a shot. You then asked her her shoe size which she volunteered freely. It was unorthodox but you didn't want to give any hints to what you were getting her. But you breathed a sigh of relief when you found that she loved it.

Alphys was next. You bought her a subscription to the site called _crunchyroll_ which offered a wide range of anime to choose from. She beamed from ear to ear and you promised to binge watch the anime _Shugo Chara!_ with her, an anime Sasha and yourself adored as tweens.

You gave Papyrus a couple of books you enjoyed as an infant as you recalled Sans telling you that he told Papyrus a bed time story every night to have him fall asleep. He was extremely excited and gave you a bone crushing hug.

You got Frisk another cute striped jumper which was a little big for them but apparently that was the way they liked it so they attacked your legs with a hug.

And there was Sans. You were the most confident with his gift. But his face was passive as he slowly and meticulously opened his gift.

"Hurry up," you whined and he simply shot you a shit eating grin. He opened the box and pulled out a large, oversized blue hoodie, similar to the one he was currently wearing, except it had text on it which proclaimed:

 **_I MAKE HORRIBLE SCIENCE PUNS_ **  
**_BUT ONLY_ **  
**_PERIODICALLY_ **

Sans stared at the hoodie for a solid thirty seconds. You started to get nervous. But then he threw his head back and howled with laughter. The monsters and Frisk were extremely confused but you were smiling widely. Once his laughter subsided, he turned to you.

"wow Chows... i don't know what to say. thank you." He gave you a bone crushing hug as well and you returned his embrace. You heard giggling and turned to the source when you broke apart. Undyne and Alphys looked to you and Sans and then back at each other, winking.

"I ship it," you heard Alphys whisper and you rolled your eyes at that. From the corner of your eye you noticed Flowey looking upon the scene, glowering at you. Even though he was a complete asshole to you, it was Christmas and even douchebags needed to be shown love and kindness. You approached his flowerpot on the window sill.

"Hey Flowey. Merry Christmas." He simply turned his head away and crossed his flower petals. "Um, I got you a Christmas present. I'll open it for you." He didn't give you an answer so you just went along with it. You opened his present to reveal a plain white flower pot with a couple of paint brushes and tubes of acrylic paint.

"What's that supposed to be?" He sneered and you just smiled.

"Well, it's a DIY flower pot so I got this because, I wanted your friends to help you decorate it." You turned to your monster friends and Frisk. "Do you guys want to paint the flower pot for him?" They didn't need to be told twice.

They practically trampled each other to get to the flower pot. You watched them decorate it with gusto and you smiled. Once they were done and stepped back to admire their handiwork and you looked at it closely. Papyrus drew a self portrait, Frisk attempted to paint a picture of Flowey, Undyne painted fishes on the pot and Alphys drew hearts around the fishes Undyne had drawn. Flowey was transferred into the pot and did not look at all happy. But you didn't care. Your friends had fun and it was the thought that counted.

Toriel then informed all of you that a Christmas party was going to held later that evening so you left their place to get ready for the party. But when you went back to their place that evening, you were surprised at the turnout. Toriel's home was practically packed with many monsters, a few of whom you recognized from the monster party.

Mettaton was the first person to notice you. "Darling!" He crooned, giving you a kiss on the cheek. He dragged you by the arm and pulled you into the fray. You saw that there were a couple of bottles of alcohol on the table and you were quite surprised that Toriel would allow people to drink in her own home. Undyne, who appeared to be quite tipsy herself attempted to challenge you to a shots contest. You rolled your eyes and took her on. Five shots in, her legs failed her while you seemed totally unfazed. Many of the monsters were watching the drinking contest with interest.

But it was Flowey, who was observing the scene extremely closely. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of you laughing at Undyne's antics and being sociable and charming to all who interacted with you. It made him sick. The way you were so kind, polite and lovely struck him as pretentious. He hated it. He hated you. He couldn't stand how nice you were and fake you were. So when you approached him, he stared daggers at you.

"Are you having a good time, Flowey?" You asked sweetly and he scoffed.

"What is your deal?" You stared at him, looking confused.

"What?"

"What are you playing at? You're not fooling me with that act. What ARE you doing, really?"

"Are you okay Flowey? You're not really yourself right n-"

"STOP THAT!" He screeched and all the monsters and Frisk directed their attention towards the two of you.

"Let's see how angelic you truly are." You felt a slight tugging motion towards your chest as you gasped as you stumbled back when something shot out of your chest. Your eyes widened when you saw purple heart materialize in front of you. Everyone stared at it in awe.

"What is that?" You breathed and Sans stepped forward.

"it's your soul, the very essence of your being." You nodded slowly.

"What does it mean?"

"perseverance," he replied simply. "but something isn't right with it..." You did not understand what he meant by that but took a close look at it.

A purple cartoonish heart floated in front of you. But what was strange about it was that it was bathed in a swirling film of lilac light. You glimpsed a dark purple heart under it but it was immediately covered by the film of lilac over it, seeming as though the dark purple under refused to be seen by anyone. Everyone stared at your soul in awe.

"what is that light over your soul?" Sans mused as he reached out to touch it. A sudden wave of anxiety washed over you and your soul lurched away from him and slammed back into your chest. You stumbled back with a gasp, at the force of your soul entering you. You looked winded and shook a little. Sans immediately rushed over to steady you and turned to Flowey, the pinpricks of light from his eyes all but gone.

"what the hell is wrong with you?" He growled and the flower seemed to shrink back from his glare.

"I don't trust her! She's evil! She's hiding something! You IDIOTS! You're all falling for her act." One of Sans's eye sockets glowed a dangerous mixture cyan of and blue. His grip around your waist tightened.

"you're insane, weed. we don't need to listen to you. c'mon Chows. let's get you home." He immediately teleported you out of the party and into your home. You two landed straight on your couch.

You wrapped your arms around him tightly and shook in his arms.

"I don't know what just happened. Like I don't know why I'm so scared. I felt like I was in danger all of a sudden." Sans patted your back lightly.

"hey it's okay. we can't blame you for being scared. with your soul out, you're incredibly vulnerable. you can get seriously hurt. it's a good thing your soul had such a fast knee-jerk reaction." You nodded, processing the information slowly.

"Do you guys think I'm fake?" You whispered, tearing up a little.

"no," he assured you gently. "weed just has something against you. we care about you, buddy. you've nothing but be nice to us and give us a good time. don't listen to him."

"People beat me up when I was little for being nice," you whispered as the memory had resurfaced. "They belittled me and insulted me and called me fake and pretentious. I have always been scared that they were right." You started to cry and Sans hugged you tighter to shush you.

"hey, hey it's okay. c'mon, you just need some rest okay?" Before you could respond, he picked you up and carried you over to your bedroom and set you down gently on your bed.

"relax and rest okay? we can teach you all about souls when you feel better. until then, the weed is going to get dunked on by everyone." Sans's voice took on a grim tone and you were too exhausted to respond. You curled up into your bed and promptly fell asleep. Sans teleported out of your home and back into Toriel's once he was satisfied that you were deep in sleep.

He was glad to find Undyne, Papyrus and Frisk chiding Flowey angrily, to the point of him covering his face with his petals. From the corner of his eye sockets, he saw Toriel padding off into the kitchen quietly. He followed her.

"what's up Tori?" He asked casually. She appeared to be in deep thought.

"Lilac..." She muttered to herself and Sans raised a brow-bone.

"whaddya mean?" She looked up at him.

"Lilac implies immaturity, superficiality and youthfulness. It is extroverted and enthusiastic, inspiring glamour, romance and vanity. Human soul colours are supposed to reflect their attitudes and personality. But never to our knowledge has lilac ever been observed. It seems odd."

Sans nodded. "you have a point. but Flowey is just a douche. all he does is tear down those who are positive, happy and merciful. that's all she is. he wants to ruin her for some reason. we shouldn't take what he said all that seriously."

"Agreed." Toriel turned away from him and began to wash the dishes, wanting to discuss no more of it. He observed her for a moment, then proceeded to head back to the party. But Toriel's words rung in his head.

_"Immaturity. Superficiality and youthfulness. Extroverted and enthusiastic. Inspiring glamour, romance and vanity."_

He did not understand the meaning of your soul...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this chapter was sort of delayed. I am truly sorry about that but I've had exams recently and my mind and time was occupied. But, my holidays are coming up and I hope to dedicate more time to my writing even though I have a lot going on.
> 
> Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though I personally felt like it wasn't all that great or exciting and worth the wait but oh well. It's probs my self-esteem but I will try not to let it hold me back. See you in the next one guys!  
> -Vodka_martini


	20. Memory

After the Christmas party, you were invited back to Toriel's house to have all the monsters tell you what a soul was. They divulged the basics of a soul but they sadly informed you that they did not understand it completely; especially since yours was a human soul. But still, they did their very best to have you educated.

"The soul is the very essence of one's being, whether they are human or monster," Toriel said.

"yeah and when a monster attacks, you enter a battle and they can manifest your soul out of your body with magic. and when your soul gets hit by the weapons and hazards that come your way, you can be weakened until you're killed." Sans delivered that statement in a deadpan tone of voice, as if battles and killing were some sort of common occurance. It made you slightly concerned.

"You said something about perseverance. What was that all about?" You asked. Undyne proceeded to answer your question.

"Well humans have different soul colours! There are seven of them. Red, light blue, orange, blue, purple, green and yellow. Human soul colours are supposed to reflect their attitudes and personality."

"What do each of them mean?" You found yourself having a tough time wrapping around the concept.

"red is determination. light blue is patience. orange is bravery. blue is integrity. green is kindness. yellow is justice. and purple is-"

"Perseverance." You finished Sans's statement. "But what does that say about me?"

"it means that even when you're trapped, you take notes and achieve the end." he informed you. You thought on that for a bit. It made sense. That was what you were like. Always moving forward. Sometimes in dangerous and unhealthy ways. But still, you were alive and kicking. So, perseverance. It made sense.

"BUT HUMAN __! SOMETHING WAS VERY DIFFERENT ABOUT YOUR SOUL!" You stared at Papyrus, Looking confused.

"What's wrong with it? Is it broken or something?" Your brows furrowed in bewilderment.

"No punk! I've never seen that weird light around it before.C'mon, let's look at it!" Undyne held out a hand and you felt a slight tugging sensation at your chest. You saw a purple heart emerge slowly out of your chest. But before it could bring itself out fully, it lurched backwards and slammed back into your chest, causing you to tip your chair backwards and you crashed to the floor. The monsters looked horrified and rushed to your aid.

"Oh my god __! Are you okay? I'm so sorry I didn't think your soul would react that way." Your hands were crossed over your chest and you felt extremely fearful. You scooted away from them and shivered.

"okay back up a little guys, she's scared." They did as Sans had instructed them and he approached you slowly, as though you were a wild animal and he was a tamer. He knelt down in front of you and reached out. You whipped your head away from him.

"Chows, look at me." You shook your head. He placed a hand on your cheek. "you'll be okay. we won't hurt you. we won't bring out your soul against your will, alright. you're safe with us." You finally looked at him and wrapped your arms around his torso.

"i know it's a lot to take in and with your soul out, you're really vulnerable. i get why you're scared. you'll be okay." Toriel then stepped forward with a cup of tea and joined Sans and yourself on the floor.

"It's alright my child. Here's a cup of tea that is bound to calm you. I added some magic to it." You tooked the cup gingerly and brought it to your trembling lips. Papyrus, Undyne, Frisk and Alphys back away from the scene and left you to Sans's and Toriel's care...

 

* * *

 

It was a rainy Wednesday. That meant a gardening and hang out session with Asgore. The constancy of your meetings were a great source of comfort to you, especially with the whole soul business. You had no idea why your soul reacted the way it did. It was almost as if it was scared to leave your body at all; as if it wanted no one to look at it. You shook your head to clear the thoughts on your soul. Thinking about it simply made you uneasy. And that afternoon, all you wanted was to just hang out with your friend and not think about anything but just gardening alongside Asgore. When you got to his doorstep, you shook the water off your umbrella and proceeded to walk through his house and to the backyard. You opened your umbrella once again.

"Hey Asgore!" You called out cheerfully. "I know the weather is kind of rough but do you still wanna..." You trailed off when you spotted Asgore. His back was facing you and he seemed to be staring at a grey statue that you had never seen before. He did not respond to you so you walked towards him. "You okay?" You asked and he still did not respond, staring straight ahead at the statue. You looked at it as well.

It appeared to be a sad looking statue of a tiny monster that had horns, similar to a goat's, curving upwards. It had its arms positioned like it was carrying something or the other. It seemed to broken at the base but it appeared to be mostly intact, despite looking extremely brittle.

The rain started to pour harder, the drops feeling like a volley of arrows against your skin. You heard the sound of the raindrops slamming against the statue and you worried that it may break from the force of the rain. So you decided to quickly place your umbrella on the top of it. Suddenly, a sad and haunting song emanated from the statue and you heard a strangled gasp from behind you. You turned around to find Asgore having a stricken look on his face. You grew concerned.

"Asgore," you said carefully as you stepped towards him. He turned away from you and held out a hand.

"__, I'd like you to leave me alone this afternoon. I am not in the mood." His voice was soft and strained.

"But-" you tried to protest and Asgore cut you off.

"No." He said firmly. "Please. I do not want to ask again." You nodded and backed away from his slowly and let yourself out.

It wasn't until you were a fair ways away from his house when you realized that you had left your umbrella on top of that statue. You cursed internally, thinking how stupid it was of you to protect a statue instead of yourself. And it got to a point where it was storming so hard you couldn't see the ground in front of you. You looked around and tried to figure out which part of town you were in and you quickly realized that in your haste to leave Asgore's house, you didn't pay attention to where you were heading off. And now, you were soaked to the bone, lost because you did not process where you were going and because you were unable to read street signs.

As you walked the corner of the block, you noticed a little corner shop with a green tarp as shelter and you walked towards it quickly. You stood under the tarp and rubbed your arms to try to stay warm. Suddenly you heard the sound of a bell ringing and the sound of a door opening. You turned around to find an elderly looking olive green tortoise-monster staring at you. He wore an archeologist's attire, and seemed to be unable to open an eye.

"Woah there! Who are you, youngin and what are you up to?"

"Hi. I can't find my way home in this weather and I'm waiting out here until the rain clears," you explained nervously. The tortoise monster frowned at that.

"Well, you might just catch a cold in this dang weather! Come in so you can dry and have somewhere to sit." He shuffled back into his store and you decided to follow after him. The store was dark and musty and you coughed a little. The tortoise monster shuffled behind a counter and you peered at the menu behind him.

"Could I have a sea tea please?" You placed several wet dollar bills on the counter and sighed. While the the tortoise was preparing the tea, you realized you did not ask this kind monster for his name. So you asked him.

"Wa ha ha! I am Gerson." You introduced yourself as well. You took a gander about the tiny store. There were plenty of antiques and random items sitting on plastic tables. You saw a pair of cloudy glasses and a torn notebook. But what caught your attention was a book case resting against the wall. You approached it and found a couple of books sitting on it. Your finger skimmed over the spines but a thick book had caught your eye. You pulled it off the shelf and blew the dust off of it. As you were absentmindedly flipping the book, several lines of text caught your eye.

 **_Love, hope, compassion..._ **  
**_This is what people say monster souls are made of._ **

At the discussion of souls, you delved further into the passage eagerly.

 **_But the absolute nature of "soul" is unknown._ **  
**_After all, humans have proven their souls don't need these things to exist._ **

Your heart ached. It was true. Humans were awful. Many humans indeed lacked love, hope and compassion. That much was definitely true. You did not let that deter you, however, and kept reading on.

 **_Because they are made of magic, monsters' bodies are attuned to their soul._ **  
**_If a monster doesn't want to fight, its defenses will weaken._ **  
**_And the crueller the intentions of our enemies, the more their attacks will hurt us._ **  
**_Therefore, if a being with a powerful soul struck with the desire to kill..._ **  
**_Um, let's end the chapter here..._ **

You could not agree more with the writer. You got goosebumps all over your flesh, just imagining a heartless individual striking down a monster that was innocent and had no intention to fight. You flipped through the pages to see if you could find anything else on souls. You then encountered a page that headed, " ** _The War of Humans and Monsters._** " You knew the basic premise of the age old war that had happened aeons ago. But you still did not know much and were curious to learn.

 **_Why did the humans attack?_ **  
**_Indeed, it seemed that they had nothing to fear._ **  
**_Humans are unbelievably strong._ **  
**_It would take the soul of nearly every monster just to equal the power of a single human soul._ **

With the mention of souls once more, your attention was piqued.

 **_But humans have one weakness._ **  
**_Ironically, it is the strength of their soul._ **  
**_Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death._ **  
**_If a monster defeats a human, they can take its soul._ **  
**_A monster with a human soul..._ **  
**_A horrible beast with unfathomable power._ **

You wondered if any monster had taken a human soul before. But a disturbing thought came to mind: what had it done with the human soul? You proceeded to read on, looking for information about human souls. Souls in general were fascinating but it was information on human souls you were chasing after. Especially a human soul that was masked by light...

 **_The power to take their souls_ **  
**_This is the power that the humans feared._ **  
**_This power has no counter._ **  
**_Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's soul._ **  
**_When a monster dies, its soul disappears._ **  
**_And an incredible power would be needed to tak_ ** **_e the soul of a living monster._ **

**_There is only one exception._ **

**_The soul of a special species of monster called a "Boss Monster."_ **  
**_A Boss Monster's soul is strong enough to persist after death if only for a few moments._ **  
**_A human could absorb this soul._ **  
**_But this has never happened._ **  
**_And now it never will..._ **

You got chills. Your hands felt clammy. But no matter how hard you flipped through the pages, you could not find anything on human souls which had you feel extremely frustrated. There had to be information on the soul colours. If your monster friends were able to educate you on human soul colours and attributes, then there HAD to be information lying around...

"So what brings you to this part of town?" Gerson's croaky voice had your attention. He held out your cup of tea and you took it gratefully.

"Well I usually spend time with Asgore during this time of the week to garden or talk." Gerson offered you a seat and you both sat across each other, drinking tea.

"Wa ha ha! You're friends with King Fluffybuns? I'm sure glad that old goat has company these days." You stared at Gerson.

"Wait, Asgore is a goat?" Gerson threw his head back and let out a throaty laugh at your incredulous question.

"He's a real interesting type of monster. The strongest type of all. We call 'em Boss Monsters." Your eyes lit up in recognition.

"So from what I read in the book, Asgore's soul can last even after he is killed?" Gerson nodded in confirmation.

"That's right. When Boss Monsters have an offspring, the soul power of the parents flows into the child causing the child to grow as the parents age." You listened to him intently.

"So do Toriel and Asgore have a child?"

"Did." Gerson corrected. "Well, two children." Your mouth parted in shock.

"What happened to them?" Gerson chuckled.

"Well youngin' sit back for you have a long tale to listen to." He took a large swig of sea tea and cleared his throat.

"A very long time ago, a human fell into the underground. Injured by its fall, the human called out for help. Asriel, the king's son, heard the human's cries and brought the human back to the castle. Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings. The King and Queen treated the human child as their own. Then one day, the human became very ill. The sick human had only one request. To see the flowers from their village. The next day, the human died. Asriel wracked with grief, absorbed the human's soul and crossed through the barrier. Asriel carried the human's body back to the village of the humans. There, he found a bed of golden flowers and carried the human onto it. Suddenly, screams rang out. The villagers saw Asriel holding the human's body and thought that he had killed the child. The humans attacked him with everything they had. Asriel, with his human's soul, had unfathomable power. He could have destroyed them all. But, he did not fight back. Clutching the human, Asriel stumbled home, wounded. He entered the castle and collapsed, dead and dusted. The king and queen had lost two children in one night."

"Wow," you whispered. "Poor Asgore..." Gerson nodded.

"Toriel leaving also had a toll on him. It was tragic when she left. Since everyone knew she was really the brains behind the throne..."

Only silence ensued between the two of you. You pondered on his story and decided to ask, "so what was the human's name?"

" _Chara_." You almost spit out your tea.

"C-cora?" You said timidly and Gerson scoffed.

"I'm old and I have better hearing than you. Its _CH-A-RA_ , not Cora; whatever that means." Your shoulders relaxed and the twinge of fear in your chest eased a little.

"You know," Gerson said suddenly. "I never did like that human all that much."

"Why do you think that?"

"Something about them had always rubbed me off the wrong way. Like I remember when King Fluffybuns was accidentally poisoned and the queen had to inform us at the monthly address that Asgore was incredibly sick and that there had to be suspensions. You could tell that the queen was really worried. The two children were by her side. Asriel was crying and clutching the queen's dress. But the human... They were smiling. They were smiling as the queen announced the king's critical condition, as though they were happy to see the king poisoned."

"They were happy to see him poisoned." You repeated numbly.

"I wouldn't have trusted that human for the life of me! But...

_..._

_"I wish the prince didn't have to kiss Snow White."_

_"Why not? If the prince didn't kiss Snow White then we wouldn't have a happy ending! And Snow White would die if the prince didn't kiss her!"_

_"It would've been more fun if she died. It would've been nice if she died. I would've liked it if she died."_  
_._  
_._  
_._  
_"Honey, I think we might have a problem..."_

_..._

...WA HA HA!"

Gerson's croaky voice had you snapping to attention from your unwanted reverie. "I'm sorry what?" Gerson harrumphed.

"The kids these days. Don't even listen to the important things their elders have to say."

"No it wasn't that I wasn't listening. I was just thinking about what you said. I'm sorry." Gerson's eye softened.

"No worries youngin' you're alright." He looked out of the window and found the storm to have cleared. "Wa ha ha! Looks like it's not raining anymore. Alright, I think you can start heading off now." You both slid out of your chairs.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Gerson," You told him sincerely. "Can I see you again?"

"Of course youngin'! You can drop by the store any time." He escorted you to the front door and waved you goodbye and you reciprocated the action as well. You intended to visit him pretty soon for you wanted to go through his bookshelves more thoroughly to find information on souls.

 

* * *

 

You went to the burger place Burgerpants worked at but it appeared he was not there. You walked up to the front of the counter, while having the other customers yelling at you to stop cutting but you ignored them. "Hey, do you know if Burgerpants is in today?" You asked and the employee and he shrugged.

"Nah. We got an email saying he won't be in today." A wave of concern washed over you.

"Why?"

"Dunno. The king of all monsters said that ALL monsters were to be excused from work or whatever today. Not sure why." You nodded, your mind whirring. You thanked him and promptly left the premises, thinking.

With Asgore's weirdness of yesterday and the apparent email, you figured something was off. You decided to check in on the Temmies to see if the memo applied to them as well. They were completely absent from their village. You did not understand what the hell was going on and you were wandering about the central of Ebott Town, looking for monsters to ask them if they knew what was going on. None were present. Ebott Town was fairly large. You knew that there was no way you could go north, south, east or west of Ebott by foot to search for the monsters so you pulled out your phone and decided to text Sans.

Chows: _Hey Sans. I heard that Asgore sent an email around excusing monsters from work or whatever and no monsters are around. Could you tell me what's going on? Asgore was acting all weird yesterday too..._

 _Saaaaaaans is typing..._  

Saaaaaaans: _what do you mean by weird?_  
Chows: _When I went to garden with him yesterday, there was this grey, brittle statue in his backyard and Asgore was staring at it with this weird expression. And since it was storming I thought the statue would break so I put my umbrella on it and it started playing a song. It affected Asgore and he told me to leave._  
Saaaaaaans: _i see._  
Chows: _So do you know anything about that statue and why all the monsters aren't around?_

 _Saaaaaaans is typing..._  

It felt like you were practically waiting an eternity for Sans's response.

Saaaaaaans: _alright. do you know the story of the death of Asgore's son?_  
Chows: _Yes. I met someone called Gerson yesterday and he told me all about it._  
Saaaaaaans: _ok so today is the anniversary of the day his son died._  
Chows: _Oh my god. So it was today when Asriel tried to bring Chara's body back to their village?_  
Saaaaaaans: _yes. and today the monsters are showing their rememberance to Asriel and the events that happened on this day so we are asked to spend this day together._  
Chows: _I understand. So what does the statue mean?_  
Saaaaaaans: _the statue was a memorial to Asriel. someone must have brought the statue from the underground and given it to him. and the song that played when you put the umbrella on it was Asriel's lullaby._

It made sense now. You could not imagine how much pain Asgore must have undergone, losing his son and his adopted child.

_Chows is typing..._

Chows: _Is there a way I can be of any sort of comfort to Asgore? I really care about him and I want to do something to help._

You guessed that there was indeed nothing you could possibly do but it was worth a shot. From experience knowing someone cared about you, especially when you had lost someone, really helps.

_Saaaaaaans is typing..._

Saaaaaaans: _you know the village at the base of Mount Ebott? the one that's abandoned? yeah that was the village where Asriel was attacked. tonight we are gathering there to mourn together. do you wanna come?_

You wondered if it would be intrusive if you attended but in all honesty, you really really wanted to. You decided to ask if Sans if it was ethical.

Chows: _Wouldn't it be out of place though? Like, what right do I have to come?_

_Saaaaaaans is typing..._

Saaaaaaans: _you just care about a friend. it's the thought that counts._

That settled it. You were going to attend.

Chows: _Okay. I'll be there. See you._  
Saaaaaaans: _see ya._

 

* * *

 

You had a tendency to get yourself into crazy situations. But hiring Death as an Uber driver? That was definitely new. Every taxi driver refused you when you asked to be taken to the abandoned village. In all honesty, you could not blame them. Even though you had been living in Ebott for a mere four years, the taboo surrounding the place was hard to ignore. It was rumoured to be haunted by ghosts of the vengeful warriors of the past. Who or what the warriers were was never stated but the superstition was strongly believed. As a last resort, you were forced to hire an Uber. And thus you were greeted with Death.

"Tra la la. I am the uberman. Or am I the uberwoman...? It doesn't really matter. I love to ride in my taxi. Would you care to join me?"  

"Uh, could you take me to the abadoned village at the base of Mount Ebott?" Death nodded.

"Then we're off..."

There was mostly silence as the two of you journeyed to the village. Death seemed to be pretty sweet and cute. They were humming as they drove while you were observing the slowly darkening sky, thinking about Asriel and the human, Chara.

"Tra la la," Death interrupted your pondering. " _The thresher of grain_... It is _forbidden_ to speak their name..."

"What did you say?!" You demanded, your blood going cold. Death just continued to hum, completely ignoring your question. "Uber person, tell me what you said. Please," you begged but the taxi had stopped.

"Come again sometime. Tra la la." 

A business card had materialized in your hand, giving the contact details of the Uber person. You wanted to stay in the taxi and shake the shit out of them to repeat their statement but no matter how hard you questioned, they simply continued to hum and ignored you. You had no choice but to leave the taxi. They sped away, leaving you confused and dazed. However, the sound of a haunting song in the distance had your attention. It was Asriel's lullaby. You followed the source of the sound by weaving through dilapidated cottages and huts. Finally, you got to a clearing where you saw many monsters gathered in a circle, with their heads bowed. They were surrounding a bed of beautiful golden flowers, surving and thriving; a juxtaposition to the state of the village. 

To the corner of your eye, you saw Undyne, Papyrus and two other monsters you did not recognize carrying Asriel's statue, with your umbrella still atop it. Asgore and Toriel followed behind, heads high and eyes downcast. They placed the statue on the bed of golden flowers. 

"should i ask why you own an umbrella that has a galaxy cat with lazer eyes on it?" You turned to Sans with a sad smile.

"No, you shouldn't." He grinned and you both turned to the scene. After a good few moments, Sans turned to you.

"back when Asriel and Chara were alive, they brought hope to all the monsters Underground. it was hard on all of us." You nodded.

"I can't imagine the pain Asgore had to go through..." Sans nodded.

"yeah. losing someone is never easy." 

Toriel was crying. Sans immediately teleported to her side to comfort her, along with other monsters. Asgore was on his own, his paws clenched into fists. You moved through the crowd of monsters towards him. Once you reached him, you tapped his shoulder and he turned to you. You offered him a sad smile and opened your arms, pulling him into a tight hug. Asgore was initally surprised, but hugged you back. You felt a tear fall onto your neck and you patted his back.

"It's okay. I know it doesn't get any easier with each passing year, but you'll be okay. I'm here for you." Asgore broke into sobs and hugged you tighter.

"Thank you my dear. Thank you." He released himself from your embrace and you both spent the night with the other monsters staring at the statue of Asriel Dreemurr, grieving the loss of a child who had died in the name of love...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh finally this chapter is out! This was a chapter that lingered in the back of my mind for a while and I am so nervous to present this to you because there is a lot of like subliminal messages and stuff in regards to plot. And also, I hope you guys are okay with like the idea of the village being like abandoned and stuff. Also the river person driving an uber!! And also like Asgore being cast in this sympathetic light when he did all that... stuff to say the least. Idk I am so nervous ahahaha. Anyhoo, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one! Please leave a comment if you are dissatisfied in any way and would like to offer feedback!
> 
> Feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting references I make in my fics, informing you of new chapter updates and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> -Vodka_martini


	21. I wanna know, can you show me?

When he'd been closed off for so long and have left people to ignoring him and leaving him to his own devices, Sans found that someone who genuinely wanted to get to know him and the things he did heartwarming.

Your classes had ended relatively late so you decided to pop by Sans's classroom to say hello.

"Hey," you greeted and he looked pleasantly surprised. He was at his laptop furiously researching something or the other while the whiteboard behind him was scrawled with complicated equations.

"Are you done for the day?" You asked and he nodded, shutting down his laptop. You waited on him for a little then headed on home together. You two were walking, chatting about anything and everything. Suddenly, a thought occured to you.

"Hey, Sans?"

"yeah Chows?"

"Why are you walking home? I mean you can teleport and stuff. Why would you ever choose to not teleport." Sans chuckled.

"i teleport too much for my own good, Papyrus thinks. but also you're with me." You stared at him with a guilty expression. He noticed right away and attempted to rectify his mistake.

"no i didn't mean i wasn't teleporting because of you. i mean, we haven't been able to hang out all that much lately and wanted to take the long way home to spend time with you." You nodded. He did have a point. All of you were so busy at this time of the year. Asgore was swamped with town meetings to discuss new policies that were to ensue for the rest of the year. Toriel, Papyrus and Undyne had to deal with new admissions at the local school. Yourself and Sasha had started to have assignments thrown at your faces, when Sans was partially the one tossing them. Ah, start of the year madness! Fantastic.

"How does your teleportation work?"

"i just go from one place to another-"

"I mean from a quantum physics standpoint," you said with a playful push. "My best friend is a quantum physics student, remember? She talks to me about stuff like that all the time. But her standpoint is usually theoretical. You actually commit the act. How does it work?" Sans opened his mouth to respond but you screeched, "in a way that is easy for me to understand! I am but a simple, stupid peasant. Spare me!" You fanned yourself dramatically and Sans shook his head at you.

You both sat down on a chair and he held out a hand. A blue flame in the shape of a sphere appeared in the palm of his hand. You stared at it, entranced. "let's say that this is the beginning of all." He snapped his fingers and another smaller sphere of fire appeared beside the sphere of fire in his palm. "the smaller sphere represents a certain time across all of the dimensions and realities, lets say the present time. now put another sphere further out," another sphere of fire appeared. "this represents the future. if you put a circle closer to the beginning this is the past," a third sphere had appeared in between the what was the beginning and the present. "the further the circle is away from the middle, the more time has passed. get it so far?" You nodded slowly, trying to process it. 

"What does it have to do with teleportation though? You're sort of talking about time."

"i'm getting to it. so you have to create a rift of sorts. when a rift is created, it's either jumping dimensions or space." The flames representing the beginning, past and future disappeared leaving only the present behind. "this is present time, right? now teleportation happens by creating a rift in space, like distance." He made the present sphere larger. "so to create a rift we have to 'punch' a hole through the space-time continuum," he demonstrated the concept by putting a hand through the ball of flame. The sphere split in half and he placed a finger at the split half and moved it between the broken distance. "that's how you move through time and space." You nodded with understanding.

"You're the only one who can do that. So can any ordinary person move through time and space?" Sans shook his head.

"no. only those with magic can." He took your hand and pulled you to your feet. You stared at him in confusion. 

"What are you doing?" He gave you a grin.

"demonstrating how it works." He wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you close to him. You were flush against his chest and you blinked. He snapped his fingers and you felt like you were falling. All you could see was black and all you could hear was static. You felt something brush against your cheek. "that was me creating a rift in time and space," you heard his deep voice in your ear. Your feet touched solid ground and you found yourself standing on the wide hexagonal roof of the playground in the park. A wave of nausea came over you and you shut your eyes tightly. Sans gave you a little space until you straightened up and felt a little better. You opened your eyes and nodded at him to indicate you felt okay. He stood still for a moment and disappeared in a flash. You blinked, wondering where the fuck he went.

"Sans?" you called out. You felt a presence behind you but before you could investigate, you felt something wrap around your waist from behind and you disappeared from reality. 

You shrieked in surprise but only static responded. A cold wind hit you which had your eyes water. "look down," Sans's voice instructed and you blinked to clear the water from your eyes. You found yourself in the air, with Sans's arms still around your waist, levitating in a blue bubble. You and Sans were in the sky, overlooking the entire park.

"see ya," Sans whispered in your ear and his arms disappeared from your waist. Before you could blink, the bubble disappeared and then you were falling. The world rushed by in a blur, the air pushing against your face. You tried to scream but the wind in your face made it impossible to breathe, suffocating you. The ground was approaching, fast. You were sure you were going to die. But before you hit the ground, Sans materialized under you and caught you in his arms, bridal style. He slid back a little from the impact but otherwise felt no discomfort or difficulty. You, on the other hand, were a mess. Your hands clutched his hoodie, as though it was a lifeline and you buried your head into his chest. 

"you okay, Chows?" He asked and you responded by balling one of your hands into a fist and slamming it into his shoulder.

"You fucker I fucking hate you I thought I was going to fucking die oh my fucking god." Sans shook with mirth and you heard his bones rattling.

"oops," he replied lazily and you lifted your head to look at him in annoyance. He launched you up into the air and caught you again.

"Stop it," you cried as you fell into his arms once again. He rolled his eye-lights and tossed you up, higher this time. You squealed as you fell into his arms again.

"Put me down, bonehead or I will build a chair out of your bones," you threatened and he relented. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and grinned at you lazily.

"you enjoyed that," he said playfully and you pouted.

"Did not," you countered and he nudged you.

"did too." 

"Did not," you nudged him back.

"did too."

"Did not."

"did too"

"Did not."

You both stopped in your tracks and stared each other down. A smile tugged at the corner of your lips while it took almost every ounce of self restraint from not bursting into a grin on Sans's part. It did not last. You both burst into rowdy laughter at the ridculousness of the situation.

"Okay, fine. I did enjoy it when I realized I wasn't dead. Happy?"

"ecstatic."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two weeks delay wow I am so sorry. In my other fic, He was just one of the good guys I mentioned that I was a student of the IBDP Program and am on holiday but I have like a ton of crucial assignments that I have to submit first drafts for as soon as school reopens for me in like four weeks. So, yeah, slightly stressed and busy. So I apologize if you felt this chapter was badly written, or seemed irrelevant because I genuinely am sorry. Also, if I had the details and concept of teleportation inaccurate I apologize as well because I am not a physics student. I based my chapter off reading a couple of essays in regards to dimentional travel. So sorry for that as well. Anyhoo I will do my best to... I don't know be a good writer or consistent? Yeah those. I hope you understand and I will try my best to commit to both fics I am simultaneously writing. Also do you think Chows is a weird or stupid nickname for the reader? If you aren't a fan then please let me know because I will do my best to adjust it. So yeah, see you in the next one! If you would like to send me fanart or questions in regards to any of my fics, feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting references I make in my fics, informing you of new chapter updates and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/
> 
> -Vodka_martini


	22. The Confederate's Ball

**Hello everybody! VM here! So anyhoo before I went on vacation (I am back) I had asked my good friend, who is an incredible artist, to draw the Reader's soul. I had taken a screenshot of the part of the story I had described your soul and sent it to her. She had then created the most amazing drawing of the soul. She is incredible I highly recommend you to follow her on Instagram which is where she posts all her pieces. She goes by the username @dizzydivvy and here is a link to her Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dizzydivvy/?hl=en**

**So without further adieu, I present to you my friend Divya's commission of the Reader's soul: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/post/155245126433/i-had-asked-my-good-friend-who-goes-by-the**

 

* * *

 

"So __ tell me," Asgore said whilst pouring you a cup of tea. "Do you know of the event that is occurring the next month?" You shook your head while helping yourself to some sugar.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Asgore nodded and cleared his throat.

"Well, a Confederate's Ball is being held. It is an event whereby leaders of the neighboring towns and states congregate in a grand event and mingle with each other. We also have dinner."

"Alright go on," you prompted.

"This year, the event is held right here in Ebott Town and I am invited to attend, as well as several guests of my choice. I've also been given partial responsibility to its organization."

"Wow that's exciting! It shows a lot of progress since you've come to the surface last year." Asgore nodded.

"It is very much so. But, I must ask something of you." You looked surprised.

"What is it?"

"An entertainment service may be required and if you wouldn't mind, would your musical group be inclined to perform for the night?" You stared at Asgore.

"You seriously want Lions with Wings to perform that night?" Asgore nodded. You pondered on his request and decided to inform your band mates about Asgore's request. "I'll talk to my band mates and will let you know if we accept." Asgore was relatively pleased with your answer but he was dropping hints left and right for you to accept his proposition. The idea seemed cool and awesome in theory. But your monster friends had heard you sing but they did not watch Lions with Wings in it's action so you were a little anxious but ultimately you decided that your band mates had to be informed. So the moment you left Asgore's place, you shot them a text to meet up with you the next day so you could inform them about the proposition.

 

* * *

 

"Ready?" You asked Aki, Dre and Noah. You were bouncing on the balls of your feet, feeling a little nervous. You didn't know why. Maybe it was because you were half afraid that Asgore might reject Lions with Wings or if he'd think ill of your band mates, to which you figured you'd be furious. You loved them and would punch anyone in the face who would dare to insult them. They knew how much you cared about them when a teenage boy had actually called Aki a 'chink', insulting his Japanese heritage and features in order to look cool in front of his friends. You thus proceeded to knee him in the nuts and insult his dick size which caused him to cry and run off into the sunset. Aki actually hugged you and told you that no one had ever defended him from racial insults and told him to put up with it. That earned you even more respect from your band mates. Performing and doing gigs with them made you four feel like a family. They loved you a lot as well and enjoyed your company immensely.

Asgore opened the door and warmly welcomed them into his home. You all had settled around his dining table to discuss the Confederate's Ball matters. They introduced themselves in turn and he shook each of their hands firmly. "It is so lovely to finally meet you. I've heard so much about all of you and you seem like an excellent bunch." The guys smiled at each other.

"Let us proceed to discuss the matter of-"

"Listen Mr Asgore," Dre interrupted firmly. "Before we discuss anything, I would like to make one thing very clear: we are performers. Lions with Wings is an entertainment group that is hired for events for a set fee. Just because you are a friend of __ it does not mean you get our services for free. We expect ourselves to be paid fairly and accordingly. I know that __ was probably too embarrassed to address the issue of payment. I can understand her awkwardness but I do not want to come off as condescending or greedy. I'd just like our group to be paid for our services, that's all."

You were mortified. You were not embarrassed or cross with Dre. It was just that asking a friend to pay you for their request felt off to you but Dre was in fact correct. Your band needed to be paid. And you were partially glad Dre had laid it out from the get go. His business mindset had Lions with Wings running on a tight ship. Aki and Noah were nodding at Asgore. He seemed extremely surprised at Dre's blunt manner but thankfully was not offended.

"Of course, Andreas. I definitely understand and agree to pay your group for your services. I am aware that __ will not get me special treatment and I assure you that it will be taken care of." Having said that, Dre appeared to relax and he leant back on his chair, satisfied. As that was out of the way, the five of you discussed what had to be done on the night.

"I have checked and the event is to last for a maximum of four hours." Asgore informed you. "The ballroom is designed in such a way that there is a large table for dinner towards the end of it while the rest is an open floor for mingling and perhaps dancing. There will be a raised platform and that is where you will be performing."

"And what about the equipment?" Aki asked.

"I shall inform you of the event holder's contacts and you will be able to arrange with them the necessary items you will need."

"What sort of music are we to play?" You asked.

"Nothing very romantic. Something slow, pleasant to the ears, giving an easy atmosphere. It is rather formal after all." The four of you nodded. It sounded easy and manageable enough. You all had proceeded to eject yourselves out of your chairs. But Asgore had stopped all of you.

"My friends, I would like to ask a special request of you." You and your band mates  looked at each other. You nodded, indicating you were willing to listen.

"As the allowance and presence of myself and my choice of guest monsters in this event is extremely symbolic of progress between Humans and Monsters, I would like you to conduct a special performance. I'd like to ask you to perform one song with a couple of Monsters in tow that possess musical prowess. Is that alright with you?" The four of you agreed immediately. You immediately started suggesting potential monsters to perform with.

"That's okay but if there are rehearsals involved we do actually charge a set sum for that," Dre warned and Asgore understood immediately.

"Of course! I will trust the selection of your guest musicians to __. After all, she's the social butterfly." The guys let out murmurs of agreement but you waved them off.

"I shall also engage fashion arrangements for all of you," Asgore suggested with a grin.

"Wait fashion arrangements?" Noah asked, sounding confused.

"I have asked a favour of the Underground celebrity, Mettaton, to get yourselves and your guest musicians specially fitted and coordinated with any theme and scheme you prefer." Dre groaned at the idea of shopping and dress fitting while Aki and Noah high-fived excitedly. Oddly enough, they enjoyed shopping tremendously while Dre hated it. Asgore then dismissed you and you had a feeling that the run up to the Confederate's Ball was going to be beyond exciting.

 

* * *

 

Your choice of guest musicians were Undyne and Shyren. You wanted Shyren to accompany you with your singing and Undyne to play the piano. Both of them accepted the roles with excitement almost immediately. They dutifully came for rehearsals where they were required punctually and prominently. Undyne managed to get along with the guys pretty well while they found Shyren utterly adorable. They were incredibly chivalrous towards her and you were grateful for that. The reason you were quick to take up their offer on forming a band was because they proved to be unbiased and not racist towards Monsters. That was what pretty much sealed the deal. The six of you had a ton of fun for your special performance but for the Lions with Wings solo for the entire night proved to be incredibly taxing and challenging.

The selection of songs to play for four hours was made with careful consideration. But you four were an incredible team so every problem was tackled as  quickly. The four of you were split up into different areas based on your strengths. Dre was in charge of finance and the business aspect of the band while Aki made sure to take care of the technological needs of the band such as instruments, managing the website. Yourself and Noah were basically in charge of public relations where you two did most of the talking and people related engagements as you were both extremely charismatic and sociable. So all in all, Lions with Wings was extremely organized, save for Noah and Aki's time management skills and their inability to hand Dre the necessary receipts.

At the end of each rehearsal, the four of you spent the last bit taking care of each other's health. For example, you bought Dre and Noah some expensive hand cream so that their skin wouldn't crack and bleed while Aki made some honey and daikon radish juice for you so your voice would not be strained, courtesy of his mother's Japanese remedy. Aki and Dre had some muscle rub so that their neck and back wouldn't ache from being hunched over their keytar and cajón.

And finally the day for Mettaton's fashion counseling, two weeks before the Ball, had arrived much to Dre's displeasure. You were having a meeting with Mettaton at a coffee shop in one of the luxury malls in Ebott. Mettaton had specifically asked one of you to bring a laptop. The four of you were convinced as to why but you found out soon enough. He had asked you to show him your website to get to know Lions with Wings, what it stood for and its look. Noah and yourself had arranged a photo shoot of the four of you wearing your signature look of matching striped pants, white v-neck shirts paired with a comfortable and casual blazer and leather converse with a single white stripe on it's soles.

Mettaton took a careful look at the photos uploaded on the website, analyzing the feel of the band and the statement it was providing through your choice of apparel. He hummed thoughtfully.

"I love your look! It is very eclectic and unique. Especially the blazer. It is casual in a business sense ooh darlings it is fantastic! For the ball, I think we will have you still wear blazers. The boys obviously will be wearing suits. I feel all black would look classy and wonderful but let us ditch the ties." The guys were listening intently. Noah and Aki were excited but Dre did not appear as eager.

"And as for __," Mettaton turned to you. "I feel like a lovely black dress with a form fitting black blazer would be a wonderful addition. How does that sound?" You nodded slowly.

"I'm not a dress wearer though. I'm not exactly sure what might look good on me."

"That is what I am here for! I will be your guide as to how to make you look fabulous. So don't you worry darling! So are you all ready to be fitted out? Good! Let's get going!"

Mettaton sheparded the four of you into a men's fitting store. Mettaton quickly and coherently explained the type of suit he required for the guys. The tailor listened intently to Mettaton's instructions and proceeded to collect the necessary equipment to get them fitted. You were sat down on a chair and watched as the tailor proceeded to take the measurements of the guys. Dre was first. It was incredibly humourous to watch the tailor try to take measurements for Dre. His long hair kept getting in the way of his measuring tape. You had no idea how he maintained hair that long. It fell to the small of his back and often smacked you in the face when he turned around.

"Sorry son but your hair is in the way. Could I tie it up? It's making my job a lot harder than it should be," the tailor said and Dre shrugged. The tailor grabbed an elastic band from his work table and proceeded to pull all his hair to the top of his head. Yourself, Noah and Aki looked at him and burst out laughing. He looked like a pineapple with his hair up. Dre scowled.

"Not a word," he said darkly but you were undeterred.

"Hey you don't look so bad. If it's any comfort, if you were a fruit you'd be a _fine_ apple." The caused Aki and Noah to start laughing even harder and Dre still looked annoyed but a hint of a smile tugged at his lips.

Mettaton then tapped you on the shoulder. "Hey, watching the guys get fitted up is going to take a lot of time. How about we head out and find you a couple of dresses to try and then we can get you fitted for the blazer." You nodded and he led you out of the fitting store. "Right, what were are looking for is a black dress. How about we find a couple and try them on and decide which one will suit you best. Shall we split up and meet back at the dressing room over there?" You nodded and went your separate ways.

"Black dress. Black dress. Black dress." You were muttering as you walked about the store. Sasha was usually the one who was the fashion savant, as well as the science savant and the gym savant. You had no idea what looked "flattering". All you knew was no matter what outfit it was, they always looked fabulous on Victoria's secret models and not necessarily on you as you were a normal human being.

"That looks pretty," you mused as you picked up a long-sleeved velvet black dress that appeared to fall below the knees when you put it against you. You grabbed your size of that dress and moved on. After a while wandering around and picking up dresses that caught your eye, you met back with Mettaton and he proceeded to  look at your selection carefully. He said nothing and instructed you to try on all you picked up. You tried to see his choices but he refused to show them to you until he observed your choices. He said nothing as showed him each of your choices. Once you were done showing the last of the dresses you had picked, that was when he shared his thoughts.

"Well, darling, I have observed something from your selections. You are inclined to go with clothes that are loose on you. You pick the wrong size, one higher up. Is that correct?" You nodded, your cheeks heating up with shame. You fiddled with the current dress you were holding.

"Why are you afraid of form fitting outfits, my dear?"

"I don't know maybe it's because my bra lines would show and like I feel I would look like a sausage and I might get out of breath I also have like this weird fat it's called the mon pubis to protect my pubic bone but like it might get accentuated with that sort of clothes." You got that sentence out in a flurry. All your insecurities were out in the open.

"I understand your fears. The media these days is brutal. But __, you are beautiful. You are wonderful and you should not worry about your body." You nodded and hung your head down sadly.

"But," Mettaton continued. "I will respect your choices and I will not force you to wear something that is like body-con. But will you allow me to fit you in a size that is one smaller than the one you have picked?" You nodded wordlessly and took his word. You knew Mettaton would respect your fears and boundaries and even still make you look fabulous. You trusted him and allowed him to dress you.

It took a while but through about a dozen dresses, you finally decided on the dress you wanted and that looked the best on you. It was a gorgeous sleeveless black dress accented with black sequins all over whilst falling just above the knee. It wasn't too tight, it was comfortable while still accentuating your feminine curves.

"How do you feel?" Mettaton asked as you continued staring at yourself in the full length mirror.

"Thank you," you whispered. "Thank you so much Mettaton. I wouldn't have tried to explore myself in this way. Thank you." Mettaton smiled at you.

"Darling, it is my pleasure. You do not need to thank me. How about we purchase this and end the day with your blazer fitting?"

"Okay..."

 

* * *

 

" _I'm a shooting star leaping through the skies_  
_Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity_ "

The Confederate's ball was well underway. The even hall possessed important guests and individuals milling about and mingling. The guests that Asgore had selected were Toriel, Alphys, Undyne, Papyrus, Mettaton, Sans and obviously Frisk. Shyren was somewhere in the crowd as well. They were looking their best and absolutely dapper and fabulous. It had been about two hours and you could tell the boys and yourself were running out of steam. Your voice occasionally was on the verge of failing but Aki had poured you some of his honey and daikon radish juice in a champagne glass so between song transitions you were able to take a swig, whilst still looking fancy and professional. Dre had the mallet set you had given him by his side so that he could give his hands a break when he found them stinging after hitting his cajón too much or too hard. Yet, you four were still having fun. The four of you shared secret smiles throughout, encouraging each other.

You were currently singing a jazzy version of Queen's _Don't Stop Me Now_. It felt fun and fitting to the formality of the event. Over the last couple of hours, you had performed songs such as _Come Away With Me_ , _New York City_ and _Shoot The Moon_ by Norah Jones and _Cats In The Cradle_ by Harry Chapin. Not many people at the party paid much attention to the band and your performance but that was naturally expected so yourself and the guys were not deterred. However, your Monster friends gave you subtle forms of encouragement throughout the night. Papyrus waved wildly at you occasionally while Sans winked at you a couple of times.

Sans appeared to not be mingling much throughout the event. He simply hung by the back, holding a champagne flute while watching the band throughout. He was wearing a crisp, navy dress shirt with matching slacks. You had to admit, he looked pretty dapper.

" _Don't stop me now_  
_I'm having such a good time_  
_I'm having a ball_  
_Don't stop me now_ "

You felt slightly uncomfortable with Sans's intense focus on your performance but you chalked it up to encouragement so you shook it off and carried on performing. When you felt a fair bit of exhaustion wash over you after a couple of rounds, Sans had somehow managed to know so when that happened he always shot you a thumbs up and a motion indicating you to keep going. Somehow, his encouragement had always rejuvenated you.

Sans was too engrossed in your performance to notice a woman sidle up to him.

"Hey handsome," she said, standing too close for comfort.

"sup," he responded her politely while subtly looking her up and down. She was an incredibly voluptuous woman wearing a tight fitting red dress that showed off her assets. Sans was not at all taken in with her and simply felt indifferent. She, however, seemed to take a liking to him for some odd reason.

"Why are you standing all alone, stranger?" She had asked teasingly and Sans shrugged.

"i like to observe the crowd," he stated as he continued to watch your band. She raised her eyebrows.

"Fascinating," she murmured. "I'm Anita," she introduced herself.

"Sans," he said in like and they shook on it.

"So what do you do for a living," she asked while twirling a strand of her hair flirtatiously.

"i'm a quantum physics professor," he stated and Anita appeared to be rather impressed. "yourself?"

"I am a lawyer and I aid in the Court of Justice-"

" _You had plenty money, 1922_  
_You let other women make a fool of you_  
_Why don't you do right, like some other men do?_ " 

Sans's attention was caught. You were singing _Why Don't You Do Right_ , the song that was featured in one of your favourite movies Who Framed Roger Rabbit. One of the sexiest cartoon characters in television history, Jessica Rabbit, was singing that song in the movie. She was extremely sultry and seductive and you had no problem getting into the vibe. You swayed your hips as you sang, trying to be sexy. Sans stared at you, entranced. You winked at your bandmates occasionally and your hands slid up into your hair.

"Oh come on, you're not seriously into _that_ are you?" Sans turned back to Anita who had her hands on her hips with an unimpressed look on her face.

" _You're sittin' down and wonderin' what it's all about_  
_You ain't got no money, they will put you out_  
_Why don't you do right, like some other men do?_ "

"whaddya mean?" Anita scoffed.

"You know what I mean. You think she's eye candy."

" _If you had prepared twenty years ago_  
_You wouldn't be a-wanderin' now from door to door_  
_Why don't you do right, like some other men do?_ "  

Sans turned back to you. You were circling around Noah, a finger flicking up his chest. Noah shook his head looking impressed at your performance.

"What you're looking at is a face that is forgettable. Special of nothing. Come on Professor, you can do better."

" _I fell for your jivin' and I took you in_  
_Now all you got to offer me's a drink of gin_  
_Why don't you do right, like some other men do?_ " 

"ya know what?" Sans asked. "you might just think she has an unforgettable face. i disagree. but you sure as hell can't deny that she has an unforgettable _voice_." Sans tilted his skull towards the stage.

" _Why don't you do right, like some other men do?_  
_Like some other men do_ "

The song ended and Sans clapped wildly. The other guests followed suit. Anita got annoyed and stormed away in fit.  He shook his head. He wasn't going to let his friend get trashed by some desperate tramp. She was wrong about you. Definitely wrong. And he would do anything to defend your honour. Because you would do anything to defend his honour as well. While the guests of the ball had collective attention, Asgore proceeded to grab the microphone from you and address them.

"Good evening everyone! I hope the evening has been treating you well so far. I think it's time we start to have dinner, what do you say?" There were murmurs of agreement and the guests started heading towards the large table for dinner towards the end of hall. Asgore still remained by the stage, waiting for patiently for everyone to settle down. Once they did, he began to address them once again.

"As you all know, this is my first attendance of the annual Confederate's Ball. And I would like to thank the Council of Ebott Town for extending the invite to myself and several other Monsters of my choice." The crowd broke into applause at that and Asgore held out a hand to calm the excitement.

"You can no doubt deny that this invite is extremely symbolic of progressive Monster and Human relationships. When we had emerged from the Underground two years ago, there was high tensions between Humans and Monsters. But now, we are more or less living in unity. Granted, there is still unease among many but the improvement is remarkable. And in order to honour the union of Monsters and Humans, we are graced with a special performance by Ebott Town's local entertainment group also known as Lions with Wings." Applause broke out once again from the audience and you, Noah, Aki and Dre stepped forward to address the crowd.

"Good evening," Dre started smoothly and professionally. "As stated by King Asgore, we are Lions with Wings. We are consisted of myself, Andreas, Noah, Aki and __. I play the cajón, while Noah plays the electric bass guitar, Aki plays the keytar and __ is our lead singer."

"Yes indeed," you added. "We love music with all our hearts. But music is not just limited with a single race. Music is a universal language, enjoyed by everyone. So joining us tonight, without any differences or biases, is our fellow friends and Monsters. Please give it up for Undyne and Shyren." There were noisy cheers from Alphys, Frisk and Papyrus as they both stepped on stage. They waved shyly at the guests.

"Undyne will be accompanying us on the piano," Aki contributed and Noah added, "yes and Shyren will be singing with __."

"Without further adieu," yourself, Aki, Dre, Noah and Undyne said in unison. "We present to you Can't Help Falling In Love by the king himself, Elvis Presley."

You took your places and with Dre's cue, you started to sing.

" _Wise men say_  
_Only fools rush in_  
_But I can't help falling in love with you_ "

You turned to your fellow performers on the stage. They all looked so happy and at peace. It made something within you thrum with happiness. Shyren beside you was sitting on a high stool to be at level with you. She was bouncing up and down excitedly on her chair. She looked at you and smiled widely. You smiled back and wrapped an arm around her.

" _Shall I stay?_  
_Would it be a sin_  
_If I can't help falling in love with you?_ "

She nuzzled against your arm. The guests were watching you in awe, completely entranced by the unique performance before them.

" _Like a river flows_  
_Surely to the sea_  
_Darling, so it goes_  
_Some things are meant to be_ "

You found your eyes locked with a single face in the crowd. Sans's eyelights honed in on yours as well.

" _Take my hand,_  
_Take my whole life, too_  
_For I can't help_ "

Sans opened his mouth and mouthed the words alongside with you.

"falling in love with you."

Your eyes never left his sockets as you sang.

" _Like a river flows_  
_Surely to the sea_  
_Darling, so it goes_  
_Some things are meant to be_  
_Take my hand,_  
_Take my whole life, too_ "

"for i can't help," Sans mouthed.

" _Falling in love with you_ "

" _For I can't help,_ " you sang.

"for i can't help," he mouthed.

" _Falling in love with you_ "

"falling in love with you"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eheheheheh don't deny it you are blushing. Anyhoo hello everyone! I am back from vacation and I am sorry for the long delay! I hadn't time to write on the trip and stuff. 
> 
> Anyhoo previously I compiled a series of images from google which showed like what the Lions with Wings signature look is. For a visual you can click the link right here: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/post/146600578198/so-this-is-the-signiture-look-i-put-together-for
> 
> I had done the same for the outfits worn by the boys and the reader for the Confederate's Ball and the link to it is right here: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/post/155389802958/the-outfits-worn-by-lions-with-wings-from-hot-for
> 
> I have also compiled links for all the songs referenced in this chapter. It is found on my tumblr and split into two parts.
> 
> Link to Part One: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/post/155388276688/links-to-all-the-songs-mentioned-in-the
> 
> Link to Part Two: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/post/155388357478/links-to-all-the-songs-mentioned-in-the
> 
> LINKS SOOO MANY LINKS!!!1 I'm playin. Anyhoo these are all found on my tumblr so if you would like to send me fanart or questions in regards to any of my fics, feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting references I make in my fics, informing you of new chapter updates and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/
> 
> That is all from me today, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one!
> 
> -Vodka_martini


	23. Who are you texting?!?!

"Oh by the way I have a boyfriend," you told Sasha, your mouth still very much full of sandwich. Sasha almost spat out her Diet Coke.

"WHAT?! Since when?!"

"Since a week ago." You sounded totally casual while Sasha was almost hyperventilating.

"And you didn't tell me?! Some friend you are," she fumed.

"You were busy as all hell the last while with family visits and assignments so obviously I didn't want to bother you." Sasha calmed down a tad at that counter.

"Okay fine. Now that I'm relatively free, tell me all about it. What's his name? How did you meet? Where did you meet? What's he like?" You sighed at Sasha's rapid fire questions and began to explain how you met your boyfriend, Colin.

 

* * *

 

_You were standing outside your class, waiting for your late professor with your nose buried in a book. You heard footsteps and the sound of someone clearing their throat in front of you._

_"Um hey, I see you're reading Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe. It's one of my favourite books. How are you finding it?" You looked up to see a boy, not much taller than yourself wearing a pair of thick black glasses with messy blonde hair. He looked relatively nervous approaching you. You smiled at him._

_"I actually really like it so far. It's actually pretty incredible. I'm really excited to see how it ends. I hope it's not a sad ending. I'm really not a fan of sad endings."_

_"It's not," he assured you. "It's wonderful, actually. I'm not a fan of sad endings either. I love any good book but sad endings do bum me out." You nodded in agreement. There was an awkward silence and he cleared his throat again._

_"My name is Colin," he said shyly._

_"I'm __."_

_"So, I'll see you around?" He was twiddling his thumbs and you found it cute._

_"Definitely," you said as you gave him a thumbs up. He left promptly before giving you a small wave. You buried your nose into your book once again, thinking no more of him._

_Two days later you saw him outside of class, earbuds in, leaning against a wall. You bounded towards him excitedly._

_"Colin! Colin!" You called out waving wildly. He pulled out his earbuds, looking a little startled. But when he saw you, he broke into a smile._

_"Hey __, what's up?"_

_"I finished it and oh my god it was sooo good!"_

_"I know right?!"_

_"I seriously did not expect him and then them like oh my god I am so happy! It made me so happy!" You were speaking in a frenzy and Colin shared the sentiment._

_"I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It's a book that I try to recommend to everyone."_

_"Well I'll be aid your preaching," you told him with a wink. The two of you laughed in unison. The sound of a lock turning caught your attention and you found a professor beginning to open his classroom. Colin turned to you apologetically._

_"Looks like I gotta go to class. Talk to you soon again."_

_"What time does your class end?" You asked suddenly._

_"At 2, why?"_

_"Sweet I'm free for the rest of the day today. Meet you at the spider bakery when your class ends?"_

_"Sure," he said sounding happy._

_"See you!" You waved and walked away._

_When you met a couple of hours later at Muffet's café, you found your meeting with Colin absolutely delightful. You found that was a keen bookworm and incredibly passionate about the English language. He was absolutely delighted to hear that you loved writing poetry._

_"Okay, can I tell you a secret?"_

_"Sure, go for it." He was curious so he was excited to hear what you had to say._

_"I found The Alchemist overrated," you dramatically covered your face behind your hands, peeking however. He leaned forward._

_"Can I tell you a secret too?"_

_"Sure."_

_"I found it overrated too." He whispered as though committing blasphemy. You both started laughing again. Eventually, you had to part but you exchanged numbers beforehand._

_You both texted each other like crazy. And then, he asked you out. You obliged. You found that you had an incredible time. One date turned into two. And two turned into three. Three dates led to pecks on the cheek and hand holding._

 

* * *

 

"That was pretty much how it happened," you told her. Sasha found it absolutely adorable.

"Okay I think I ship you two already. You've got to let me meet him. I want to inspect him then give you the all clear. I'm the relationship expert, after all." You scoffed at that.

"Alright you might have had more boyfriends than me, but I've had more _girlfriends_ than you. And don't forget I've had to defend you from dickheads, remember?" Sasha knew that you were referring to the incident where you got one of her exes beaten up for cheating on her with three girls and a guy at the same time. Sasha sighed exasperatedly.

"Look, I appreciated that but you sending some thug after him is not okay. Morally. Please don't ever do that again." She was practically begging you. You put out your hands in a placating gesture.

"It's not like I have the... _resources_ to pull that off now. Back then, sure why not. I had my buddies to help me out. But now, not so much." You shrugged. A grin split across your face. "It felt so satisfying to avenge you because you're sweet as fuck and no one is ever hurting you. Not on my watch." Sasha sighed.

"I love you so much for that but don't you ever feel guilty for arranging that?" You snorted.

"Everyday of my life," you said cheerfully but your eyes were downcast. Sasha wrapped an arm around you.

"I won't lie either, it did feel satisfying to me too. Especially when I visited him in hospital and gave him a bouquet with a card saying 'fuck you'. Now THAT was fun."

"I can definitely imagine," you said with a grin.

"You're such a weird friend, you know that right? You do the most ridiculous things to get me through my darkest moments, and yet somehow it works. You've saved me and protected me from hurt. I want to do the same for you. I don't want anyone to ever hurt you. Because like you tell me when I get hurt, 'when you're hurt, I'm in pain too,'." Sasha sounded extremely sincere and you knew she wasn't lying. You gave her a big hug.

"I know..."

 

* * *

 

While having dinner at Sans and Papyrus's house, with Alphys, Frisk, Toriel and the skelebros in tow, Undyne was yammering on about something or the other that had happened at one of the gym classes that her and Papyrus taught. Apparently some kid called Papyrus weak and she wanted to prove him wrong by engaging Papyrus in sparring match in front of the kids. Papyrus won. You knew that it was likely that Undyne let him win on purpose but you weren't exactly paying attention. You were texting Colin under the table.

Colin: _Hey_  
xxxxxx: _Hi! What are you up to right now?_  
Colin: _Doing a bit of research. It's such a bore. I wanted to take a break so I figured I could text you. What are you doing?_  
xxxxxx: _Remember the skeleton brothers I told you about? Yeah I'm at their place for dinner with a couple of my other monster friends._

"What do you think, __?" Toriel's address of you startled you momentarily and you looked up from your phone.

"Sorry what did you say?"

"I asked if you think that the children have gotten rowdier as compared to the past."

"Yes definitely!" You replied a little too quickly. Your monster friends and Frisk stared at you oddly. You noticed their gaze and casually took a sip of water. "Back when Sasha and I were younger, our classmates and us were mostly concerned with our homework and nothing more. We would play and all but mostly school was important." Toriel looked fascinated.

"Is that so?" You nodded.

"Yeah. But it could be a culture thing, too. I came to Ebott Town like four years ago for college. I grew up in a town called Rosedell. It's a ways away from Ebott town."

"THAT SOUNDS EXCITING HUMAN __! I WONDER IF WE ALL SHOULD GO ON HOLIDAY-" Sans winced, which you found odd. You glanced at him but his grin was fixed in place. Papyrus did not notice but carried on rambling anyway. "TOGETHER SOMEDAY!"

"I like that idea!" Undyne cried. Frisk agreed readily. The vibration of your phone caught your attention and you opened your message from Colin under the table, once again.

Colin: _Then why are you texting me? Shouldn't you be social or something?_  
xxxxxx: _You're such a hypocrite! You texted me when YOUR family visited, and I quote, 'help my aunt is being so annoying why family why'. You have no right to talk about being social, mister._  
Colin: _Alright, you win. Anyway I'm done reading your poem, Sialia._  
xxxxxx: _What did you think of it?_  
Colin: _I loved it! It had such a positive message and it made me feel warm and nice. I loved the image of that solitary bird. You've got talent and I feel so happy to watch it unfold before me. Forgive me for sounding corny but hey sue me for wanting to appreciate my girlfriend._

You couldn't help it. You were smiling stupidly. Undyne didn't let your smile go past her gaze.

"Oi! Who are you texting, punk?!" You looked up from your phone, startled.

"No one," you stammered quickly. She narrowed her eye and shrugged. But as fast as a viper, she lunged across the table and plucked your phone from your hands.

"Colin?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah he's my-"

"'Forgive me for sounding corny but hey sue me for wanting to appreciate my girlfriend'. Girlfriend?!" Everyone stared at you. You laughed nervously.

"Surprise haha."

"Since when did you start dating this guy?" Undyne was a mixture of interested and demanding.

"A week ago. We met about two and a half weeks ago." You proceeded to tell the story like you did with Sasha and surveyed their reactions carefully. They looked delighted, oddly, to hear that you had a boyfriend. Sans however struck you as weird. His eye-lights seemed a little shrunken than usual and his teeth was pressed together a little tightly. You figured you were imagining things.

"That is wonderful to hear, my child! Love is always wonderful."

"I don't love him," you corrected Toriel. The others seemed surprised at that. "I like him. A lot. I'm not at the position to say if I love him." They then understood your meaning and seemed to regain their excitement. Eventually, they all begged to meet Colin and made hypothetical plans and good impression tactics. Sans stayed quiet through the flurry of conversation and concerned himself with cold food.

He couldn't deny it: he felt jealous. He was so worried this Colin guy would take you away from him and won't allow you to spend time with him. He wondered if his texts made you smile the way you did when you were texting Colin. He felt as though his friendship with you was threatened but he respected your decisions, and since you decided to trust and date him, who was he to question the integrity of this character he had not met before?

So he decided, with the highest amount of difficulty, to give him a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter kind of set all that happened last chapter back didn't it? Oops (งツ)ว I hope y'all trust me on this.  
> Anyhoo I'm so sorry for the delay in this chapter. Shit got hectic and I had other commitments, school and stuff. But stuff is going to calm down soon so until then I'm hanging on and waiting it out. Thanks for understanding and sticking around. Love y'all <3 <3
> 
> If you would like to send me fanart or questions in regards to any of my fics, feel free to follow my tumblr account specifically created for posting references I make in my fics, informing you of new chapter updates and Undertale randomness: http://vodka-martini-blog.tumblr.com/
> 
> -Vodka_martini


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